Hey you all! First off, I want to thank everyone who's reading and has
reviewed - your comments mean so much! I love hearing what you think. This
story is, if you can believe it, nearly finished. . .only a few chapters
left to put up here (there's 10 in total, the last being an epilogue of
sorts). But, don't be disappointed if you're looking to read more stuff
written by me (I'm flattered if you do!) - I've started on a sequel! Well,
it can be read on it's own, but it happens after these events and contains
reminders of what's happened in Holiday of Disaster. As soon as I have
finished posting this story, the next one will be added. I have many more
ideas for other Thunderbirds fanfics, so I definitely hope you'll keep
reading and reviewing!
Also, I am going to start a blog/site for Thunderbirds fanfiction writers and readers. If you are interested in being a part of it, please email me (angel@crimson-love.net) with your name, fanfiction.net user number if you have one, and anything else you think I should know. I am working on it right now and it will hopefully be up next week. Hope to see you as a part of it!
Angelina
**************
Scott pulled the blindfold off his thrashing brother and yanked the cloth, used as a gag, out of his mouth. He found his pocketknife and began hacking away at the coarse rope used to hold his hands and feet together.
"What happened?" Scott asked as he worked.
Gordon licked his lips and swallowed, trying to find his voice. "I don't really remember. One minute I was sleeping, the next I was hit on the head with a flower vase, and I woke up in your room. You heard me kicking the table, I guess, huh?"
"Yeah, I heard you." He freed his wrists and Gordon rubbed them thankfully, eyeing the red marks on his skin. Scott sat down on the floor and began working on his ankles. "So they knocked you out, tied you up, broke into my room and put you here?"
"That sounds about right."
"I really wish we could get to the bottom of this and find out who wants us out of here so badly. We're lucky nothing worse happened to you." Scott's knife sliced through the rope one last time and he unwound it from Gordon's legs. "There you go."
"Thanks, Scott. I'm glad nothing worse happened to me too." Gordon looked up and got a glimpse of his reflection in the long mirror on the wall. He rubbed at his forehead, but the ink wouldn't even smudge.
"You stay there. I'll see if I can find anything that will take that off." Scott left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bottle full of clear liquid.
"What's this?" Gordon asked, taking it from him.
"One of Brain's miracle jobs. He says it will remove even permanent ink."
"What would we do without that man?" Gordon smiled ruefully and used the couch to pull himself to his feet, feeling his stiff legs wobble underneath him. He steadied himself and then entered the bathroom to get some tissue to wipe the ink off his head.
Meanwhile, Scott went back to his bedroom and changed into some fresh clothes. By the time he was done changing, Gordon had successfully removed the writing above his eyes and was leaning against the wall waiting for him.
"Breakfast?" He invited simply.
"I thought you'd never ask." Scott grinned at him and Gordon led the way out of the hotel room.
+++
Later that afternoon, everyone crowded into Jeff's large hotel room and told the events of the morning. Virgil shared his bloody story with a laugh and the mood turned serious while Gordon and Scott recalled what had happened in Scott's room.
"I'm glad you told me, boys. I can see you're taking this seriously." Jeff commented when they were through.
"We've taken all this seriously, father. But even more so after what happened to John and Tin-Tin." Virgil looked over at them to emphasize his point.
"Thanks to Brains, we're doing better." Tin-Tin piped up, smiling at the engineer.
"And because of him, I don't have words on my head." Gordon added.
Brains looked at them shyly. He hated drawing attention to himself. "I-I'm glad I c-c-could help."
"I think finding him was one of the things I ever did."
Simultaneously, John, Virgil, Scott and Gordon crossed their arms. "How about having five sons?" Scott asked his father teasingly.
"No, that. . .now that was a mistake." Jeff answered. Four couch pillows hit him in the head. He put his hands up in surrender and laughed, pleased that even with all that was happening to them, he and his sons could still enjoy their vacation.
Kyrano entered and joined John and his daughter on the couch. He had a worried air about him and the Tracy's hoped it was just because of what had happened to Tin-Tin. She looked around, suddenly feeling surrounded by a different species as they joked. For what must have been the thousandth time, Tin-Tin wished Jeff and his wife had had a daughter before she had died. At least then she would have had someone to talk to, someone who wasn't Alan or one of the other males buzzing around the Tracy home. She shook her head as they bantered, feeling guilty at the thought. She was privileged to be living with her father and a wonderful group of men that would easily put their life on the line for her own.
"If no one objects, I think I'm going to go for a walk." Tin-Tin stood up and waited to see if she got a reply.
"Go ahead, Tin-Tin. We won't keep you." John said as he raised his crutch towards Scott, who was getting dangerously close with a pillow from the bed.
She nodded her thanks and left, heading back to her own room. Tin-Tin breathed a sigh of relief at the peace and quiet that welcomed her as she stepped through the door. Shutting it behind her, she moved into the bedroom to find her sweater since the breeze coming through the window held the scent of rain.
Just as she was about to leave, Tin-Tin heard a rustling sound in the bathroom. Curious, she walked silently toward the door and listened for more noises. It sounded to her as if someone was inside, and the soft murmur of a muttered curse confirmed her guess. In one swift movement, she kicked open the door, her heart beating furiously at the thought of what she might find on the other side.
The figure crouched beside the small shower stall spun around, surprise evident on his harsh features. He was about her height, sturdily built and had a violent tinge to his coal black eyes. Tin-Tin fought to keep her gaze steady as she glared at him. "What are you doing?" She asked in a slow growl, surprised at how calm she sounded.
Without answering, the man lunged for her. Tin-Tin ducked just in time and threw her weight backwards so he slammed into the wall behind her. She turned and raised her leg, every muscle smarting in protest. She ignored the pain that clouded her vision and placed the toe of her leather boot against the man's throat, pressing slightly to begin with and harder as he squirmed, trying to get away.
"Who do you work for?" She hissed, putting more pressure on the base of his neck and digging the heel of her boot into his right shoulder blade.
The man gasped and fought against her hold but Tin-Tin only pushed harder in response. She repeated her question and waited for him to answer.
"N. . .no. . ." The man screeched hoarsely, feeling her foot beginning to cut off his oxygen.
"Who do you work for?" Tin-Tin tried again, her voice a low rumble that expressed exactly what she thought of this man.
The intruder seemed to realize she meant business and stopped fighting against her shoe. "T-t-the. . .H-H-Hood. . ." He stammered.
Tin-Tin released his throat but grabbed him and pulled him away from the wall before he could catch his breath. She held his hands behind his back and pushed him forward. "Walk," She commanded, pointing him at the door.
The man stumbled in the direction she wanted him to go, and with more than a bit of a struggle, she managed to steer him out of her hotel room. Then, seeing as he was trying harder now to get away, she kicked him in the back of the shin and yelled the first name that came to her mind. "Scott!"
The oldest Tracy brother stuck his head out of his father's room. His dark hair promptly became the victim of a pillow Gordon was holding but he put a stop to it as soon as he saw Tin-Tin fighting a man he didn't recognize. He hurried down the hall towards her and helped her hold on.
"Easy, easy," Scott mumbled more to himself than to the man in Tin-Tin's grasp. He took Tin-Tin's position and locked his fingers around his wrists while she pushed him to his knees.
"Hold onto him while I call the police. He works for the Hood." She sprinted into her room, the door still ajar, and dialed the local police station. Then she returned to Scott's side and wasn't surprised to see the commanding man had made the intruder fall silent.
"Are they coming?" Scott asked.
Tin-Tin nodded. "They're on their way. Can we get him downstairs, do you think?"
He gave her a wry smile. "Of course." He kneed the man in the back. "Get up." Scott said in a low voice. He did as he said as Tin-Tin watched in amazement.
"How do you do that?" She asked incredulously as they forced the man into the elevator and held him still for the ride to the main floor.
"It's a gift," Scott grunted, a slightly sarcastic edge to his voice. The man had purposely pinned him against the elevator wall and he was trying to get out without showing their prisoner that he was winning in holding him there.
By now, the rest of the Tracy's, Kyrano and Brains had run down the stairs to the lobby to await the police. Gordon, who had been watching the scene from Jeff's hotel room, had informed them of what had happened and had seen Tin-Tin and Scott shove the mysterious man into the elevator. He would have rushed forward to help, but it looked to him like Scott had everything under control - he'd only get in the way.
Jeff fidgeted nervously until he heard the ping announcing the arrival of the elevator. They all stood expectantly, waiting for Scott, Tin-Tin and the mysterious man to emerge from the opening doors.
Two uniformed policemen who had appeared out of thin air greeted them immediately as they stepped out. The officers snapped handcuffs onto the man's wrists and only then did Tin-Tin and Scott loosen their hold on him. He swore angrily at them and spit curses in their faces but his two captors held their ground and didn't even give him so much as a look of disgust.
The policemen towed him away and the group followed them out into the sunlight. "Didn't John say there were three people?" Virgil whispered to Gordon.
"I think so. Where are the other two?"
"Good question," John said, overhearing their conversation. "If we've timed this right, one of them is probably watching. What did that girl Scott chatted up look like?"
"We don't know. She was wearing a costume," Gordon reminded him softly.
"Oh, that's right." John raised his head and looked around casually. His eyes wavered over every female in the lobby, all of them watching what was unfolding involving the police outside the hotel.
Scott came up to them, having bid the cops goodbye and gladly handing the Hood's henchman over to him. Tin-Tin followed close behind, looking more worn out than he did. She looked at John and then followed his gaze, landing on a dark haired woman in the corner.
"What are you looking at?" She asked under her breath.
"That woman over there. Why does she look familiar, Tin-Tin?"
"I don't know. Maybe we've seen her around the hotel."
John shook his head slightly, not tearing his eyes from her. "Put a long, black whip in her hand. Now tell me where you've seen her."
Tin-Tin did a double take and her breath caught in her throat as she imagined the woman as John suggested. It was true; she had been the one who had controlled the whip that slapped their skin the night she and him had been attacked. She numbly tugged on Virgil's shirt and nodded her head towards John and the woman. "That's one of his accomplices, Virg." She said in an undertone.
The woman saw all three of them staring at her and slithered into the crowd of people like smoke into the air. Tin-Tin tried to follow her with her eyes, but it was no use.
She only managed to spot her again when Virgil and Scott tackled the woman to the ground a few seconds later.
Also, I am going to start a blog/site for Thunderbirds fanfiction writers and readers. If you are interested in being a part of it, please email me (angel@crimson-love.net) with your name, fanfiction.net user number if you have one, and anything else you think I should know. I am working on it right now and it will hopefully be up next week. Hope to see you as a part of it!
Angelina
**************
Scott pulled the blindfold off his thrashing brother and yanked the cloth, used as a gag, out of his mouth. He found his pocketknife and began hacking away at the coarse rope used to hold his hands and feet together.
"What happened?" Scott asked as he worked.
Gordon licked his lips and swallowed, trying to find his voice. "I don't really remember. One minute I was sleeping, the next I was hit on the head with a flower vase, and I woke up in your room. You heard me kicking the table, I guess, huh?"
"Yeah, I heard you." He freed his wrists and Gordon rubbed them thankfully, eyeing the red marks on his skin. Scott sat down on the floor and began working on his ankles. "So they knocked you out, tied you up, broke into my room and put you here?"
"That sounds about right."
"I really wish we could get to the bottom of this and find out who wants us out of here so badly. We're lucky nothing worse happened to you." Scott's knife sliced through the rope one last time and he unwound it from Gordon's legs. "There you go."
"Thanks, Scott. I'm glad nothing worse happened to me too." Gordon looked up and got a glimpse of his reflection in the long mirror on the wall. He rubbed at his forehead, but the ink wouldn't even smudge.
"You stay there. I'll see if I can find anything that will take that off." Scott left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bottle full of clear liquid.
"What's this?" Gordon asked, taking it from him.
"One of Brain's miracle jobs. He says it will remove even permanent ink."
"What would we do without that man?" Gordon smiled ruefully and used the couch to pull himself to his feet, feeling his stiff legs wobble underneath him. He steadied himself and then entered the bathroom to get some tissue to wipe the ink off his head.
Meanwhile, Scott went back to his bedroom and changed into some fresh clothes. By the time he was done changing, Gordon had successfully removed the writing above his eyes and was leaning against the wall waiting for him.
"Breakfast?" He invited simply.
"I thought you'd never ask." Scott grinned at him and Gordon led the way out of the hotel room.
+++
Later that afternoon, everyone crowded into Jeff's large hotel room and told the events of the morning. Virgil shared his bloody story with a laugh and the mood turned serious while Gordon and Scott recalled what had happened in Scott's room.
"I'm glad you told me, boys. I can see you're taking this seriously." Jeff commented when they were through.
"We've taken all this seriously, father. But even more so after what happened to John and Tin-Tin." Virgil looked over at them to emphasize his point.
"Thanks to Brains, we're doing better." Tin-Tin piped up, smiling at the engineer.
"And because of him, I don't have words on my head." Gordon added.
Brains looked at them shyly. He hated drawing attention to himself. "I-I'm glad I c-c-could help."
"I think finding him was one of the things I ever did."
Simultaneously, John, Virgil, Scott and Gordon crossed their arms. "How about having five sons?" Scott asked his father teasingly.
"No, that. . .now that was a mistake." Jeff answered. Four couch pillows hit him in the head. He put his hands up in surrender and laughed, pleased that even with all that was happening to them, he and his sons could still enjoy their vacation.
Kyrano entered and joined John and his daughter on the couch. He had a worried air about him and the Tracy's hoped it was just because of what had happened to Tin-Tin. She looked around, suddenly feeling surrounded by a different species as they joked. For what must have been the thousandth time, Tin-Tin wished Jeff and his wife had had a daughter before she had died. At least then she would have had someone to talk to, someone who wasn't Alan or one of the other males buzzing around the Tracy home. She shook her head as they bantered, feeling guilty at the thought. She was privileged to be living with her father and a wonderful group of men that would easily put their life on the line for her own.
"If no one objects, I think I'm going to go for a walk." Tin-Tin stood up and waited to see if she got a reply.
"Go ahead, Tin-Tin. We won't keep you." John said as he raised his crutch towards Scott, who was getting dangerously close with a pillow from the bed.
She nodded her thanks and left, heading back to her own room. Tin-Tin breathed a sigh of relief at the peace and quiet that welcomed her as she stepped through the door. Shutting it behind her, she moved into the bedroom to find her sweater since the breeze coming through the window held the scent of rain.
Just as she was about to leave, Tin-Tin heard a rustling sound in the bathroom. Curious, she walked silently toward the door and listened for more noises. It sounded to her as if someone was inside, and the soft murmur of a muttered curse confirmed her guess. In one swift movement, she kicked open the door, her heart beating furiously at the thought of what she might find on the other side.
The figure crouched beside the small shower stall spun around, surprise evident on his harsh features. He was about her height, sturdily built and had a violent tinge to his coal black eyes. Tin-Tin fought to keep her gaze steady as she glared at him. "What are you doing?" She asked in a slow growl, surprised at how calm she sounded.
Without answering, the man lunged for her. Tin-Tin ducked just in time and threw her weight backwards so he slammed into the wall behind her. She turned and raised her leg, every muscle smarting in protest. She ignored the pain that clouded her vision and placed the toe of her leather boot against the man's throat, pressing slightly to begin with and harder as he squirmed, trying to get away.
"Who do you work for?" She hissed, putting more pressure on the base of his neck and digging the heel of her boot into his right shoulder blade.
The man gasped and fought against her hold but Tin-Tin only pushed harder in response. She repeated her question and waited for him to answer.
"N. . .no. . ." The man screeched hoarsely, feeling her foot beginning to cut off his oxygen.
"Who do you work for?" Tin-Tin tried again, her voice a low rumble that expressed exactly what she thought of this man.
The intruder seemed to realize she meant business and stopped fighting against her shoe. "T-t-the. . .H-H-Hood. . ." He stammered.
Tin-Tin released his throat but grabbed him and pulled him away from the wall before he could catch his breath. She held his hands behind his back and pushed him forward. "Walk," She commanded, pointing him at the door.
The man stumbled in the direction she wanted him to go, and with more than a bit of a struggle, she managed to steer him out of her hotel room. Then, seeing as he was trying harder now to get away, she kicked him in the back of the shin and yelled the first name that came to her mind. "Scott!"
The oldest Tracy brother stuck his head out of his father's room. His dark hair promptly became the victim of a pillow Gordon was holding but he put a stop to it as soon as he saw Tin-Tin fighting a man he didn't recognize. He hurried down the hall towards her and helped her hold on.
"Easy, easy," Scott mumbled more to himself than to the man in Tin-Tin's grasp. He took Tin-Tin's position and locked his fingers around his wrists while she pushed him to his knees.
"Hold onto him while I call the police. He works for the Hood." She sprinted into her room, the door still ajar, and dialed the local police station. Then she returned to Scott's side and wasn't surprised to see the commanding man had made the intruder fall silent.
"Are they coming?" Scott asked.
Tin-Tin nodded. "They're on their way. Can we get him downstairs, do you think?"
He gave her a wry smile. "Of course." He kneed the man in the back. "Get up." Scott said in a low voice. He did as he said as Tin-Tin watched in amazement.
"How do you do that?" She asked incredulously as they forced the man into the elevator and held him still for the ride to the main floor.
"It's a gift," Scott grunted, a slightly sarcastic edge to his voice. The man had purposely pinned him against the elevator wall and he was trying to get out without showing their prisoner that he was winning in holding him there.
By now, the rest of the Tracy's, Kyrano and Brains had run down the stairs to the lobby to await the police. Gordon, who had been watching the scene from Jeff's hotel room, had informed them of what had happened and had seen Tin-Tin and Scott shove the mysterious man into the elevator. He would have rushed forward to help, but it looked to him like Scott had everything under control - he'd only get in the way.
Jeff fidgeted nervously until he heard the ping announcing the arrival of the elevator. They all stood expectantly, waiting for Scott, Tin-Tin and the mysterious man to emerge from the opening doors.
Two uniformed policemen who had appeared out of thin air greeted them immediately as they stepped out. The officers snapped handcuffs onto the man's wrists and only then did Tin-Tin and Scott loosen their hold on him. He swore angrily at them and spit curses in their faces but his two captors held their ground and didn't even give him so much as a look of disgust.
The policemen towed him away and the group followed them out into the sunlight. "Didn't John say there were three people?" Virgil whispered to Gordon.
"I think so. Where are the other two?"
"Good question," John said, overhearing their conversation. "If we've timed this right, one of them is probably watching. What did that girl Scott chatted up look like?"
"We don't know. She was wearing a costume," Gordon reminded him softly.
"Oh, that's right." John raised his head and looked around casually. His eyes wavered over every female in the lobby, all of them watching what was unfolding involving the police outside the hotel.
Scott came up to them, having bid the cops goodbye and gladly handing the Hood's henchman over to him. Tin-Tin followed close behind, looking more worn out than he did. She looked at John and then followed his gaze, landing on a dark haired woman in the corner.
"What are you looking at?" She asked under her breath.
"That woman over there. Why does she look familiar, Tin-Tin?"
"I don't know. Maybe we've seen her around the hotel."
John shook his head slightly, not tearing his eyes from her. "Put a long, black whip in her hand. Now tell me where you've seen her."
Tin-Tin did a double take and her breath caught in her throat as she imagined the woman as John suggested. It was true; she had been the one who had controlled the whip that slapped their skin the night she and him had been attacked. She numbly tugged on Virgil's shirt and nodded her head towards John and the woman. "That's one of his accomplices, Virg." She said in an undertone.
The woman saw all three of them staring at her and slithered into the crowd of people like smoke into the air. Tin-Tin tried to follow her with her eyes, but it was no use.
She only managed to spot her again when Virgil and Scott tackled the woman to the ground a few seconds later.