Two and a half hours later, Scott paced worriedly at the entrance to the beach.

'Where the hell is he?' he growled to his brothers. 'He was supposed to meet us here half an hour ago.'

'There's no point getting mad at us.' Virgil replied arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the 'Welcome to Miami Beach' sign. 'We haven't done anything. Besides...' he continued lowering his sunglasses and peering at his older brother over them. 'you know Gordo, he probably just lost track of time. He was really looking forward to seeing this guy.'

Scott did not look happy at Virgil's explanation. 'What do you think?' he asked turning to the youngest Tracy.

Alan frowned thoughtfully, 'I don't know Scott.. It's not like Gordo to be this late, a couple of minutes maybe but half an hour...' he trailed off.

Virgil sighed as Scott began pacing again, 'you know I happen to know that on a WASP mission once, our little brother was about two hours late for...'

'We're not talking about WASP here Virgil!' Scott barked, 'we're talking about IR when has he ever been late since it started?'

Virgil suddenly looked more worried.

'Look maybe we should try his watch again?' Alan said with a worried glance at Scott.

'Alright' Scott replied, 'I'll go around the back of the café so no-one can here me.'

As Scott walked off, his forehead creased in worry, Alan turned to Virgil, 'I don't like this Virg'.

'We don't even know what 'this' is yet Al! He's probably just got so caught up with his old friend that he's forgotten all about meeting us.'

'He wouldn't do that.'

'Oh come on Al. He's Gordon, the most laid-back guy either of us know.'

'Not when it comes to International Rescue Virg, you and I both know that.'

Virgil conceded, 'I guess you're right.'

Scott hurried towards them, a grim look on his face. 'Nope...' he began , 'he's not answering his communicator'.

'Hey Guys' Alan said quietly, 'I hate to be the one who has to say this but do you think we should call Dad?'

Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair, 'I knew this was a bad idea, right from the..........' he trailed off and stared in surprise as Gordon made his way towards them.

'Where in the hell have you been?' Scott yelled, his worry turning to anger.

Gordon stared unfocusing at his brother, his head pounded like a sledgehammer and he struggled to remember what happened, 'I don't know,' he began, horrified to find that he was slurring his words, 'I can't remember.'

Alan and Virgil peered at him, confused and a muscle began to throb in Scott's forehead.

'Oh for Pete's sake.' Scott scolded, 'How many have you had?'

'What?' Gordon answered confused.

'How many, eight, nine pints?'

'I can't remember' Gordon answered honestly. He had completely no memory of the past 2 hours, he felt like he'd awoken from a bad dream and he still hadn't woken up properly.

Scott looked incensed, 'YOU SEE?' he yelled at Virgil and Alan, 'THIS IS WHY WE DON'T DO THIS KIND OF THING? NOW HE'S DRUNK AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO DAD HOW THAT HAPPENED!'

Virgil winced as Scott continued his tirade, Alan stared confused at Gordon. It wasn't often he got drunk, not since his depression after the accident had Alan seen him this out of it.

'I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS?' Scott was ranting like a lunatic, 'YOU KNOW IF I SAY LET'S MEET IN TWO HOURS, WE MEET IN TWO HOURS AND NOT A SECOND LATER!'

The throbbing in Gordon's head grew louder and louder as his brother shouted, it became like a loud pulse in his head, making him feel like his head was about to explode. 'He's not your father!' a voice echoed in his head, 'he doesn't understand you, he can't control you!'

'No he can't' Gordon answered to himself silently. He raised his head slowly feeling a buzz of power electrify his body.

'Or what?' he asked forcefully,looking Scott in the eyes.

Alan looked at his brother, Virgil's eyes widened. Scott turned a dark shade of red.

'What?' he said through his teeth.

'I SAID,?' Gordon shouted back, as a man and a woman lying on nearby towels watched in interest as he continued, 'OR WHAT? WHAT WILL YOU DO SCOTT IF WE DON'T COME BACK IN TWO HOURS?'

Scott looked completely shocked, Gordon was often argumentative and definitely one for speaking his mind, but he very rarely raised his voice, especially to any of his family.

Virgil attempted to calm him down, 'hey,' he murmered, 'let's not blow this out of proportion'.

'THE ONLY THING LIABLE TO BLOW AROUND HERE...' Gordon shouted defiantly, 'IS SCOTT'S BLOOD PRESSURE!'

Scott was struck dumb by his brother's change in attitude, visibly forcing himself to take a deep breath, he reminded himself that his younger brother was drunk and would regret this in the morning, ' alright.' he lowered his voice, 'I don't know what's got into you, probably hundreds of pints,but you had better sober up before we get home, or it won't be me you have to worry about!'

'Oooh Dad?' Gordon said sarcastically, 'cos he's so scary!'

Scott shook his head in disbelief, 'get him into thunderbird one.' He told a bewildered Virgil and Alan. He watched as they each took one of Gordon's arms and began steering him in the direction of the airport. He didn't have time for Gordon's behaviour right now, he had to get Thunderbird One back to base and explain to their father the loss of half an hour, hopefully his brother would have sobered up by then or Jeff would not be a happy man. Regardless of what Gordon had said, Scott knew that Jeff Tracy could be a very scary man when he wanted to be.
'Come On Gordo, up we go'. Virgil said coaxingly as he tried unsuccessfully to haul his younger brother up the steps into Thunderbird One.

'No let go of me. I won't let you take me!' Gordon shrieked kicking and screaming as Alan, Virgil and Scott stopped him from running off.

Alan ducked as Gordon's fist swung narrowly past his ear, 'Boy is he gonna owe us big time for this when he sobers up!' he said as he twisted Gordon's arm behind his back.

'I won't tell you what you want to know!' Gordon rambled manically, 'You'll have to kill me first.'

'What the hell have you been drinking?' Scott shouted as they wrestled him onto the floor of Thunderbird One.

'Look and you shall seek said the Lord, and then I shall have my vengeance.' Gordon spoke with a sudden clarity and then his eyes fluttered and he seemed to drift into unconsciousness.

Alan, Virgil and Scott looked at each other, deeply confused. Alan looked seriously alarmed as he laid Gordon's head in his lap.

'What in God's name..' He said quietly breaking the silence.

Virgil shook his head slowly and brushed Gordon's hair from his forehead. ' Jesus, he's really hot, do you think he's alright?'

Scott could not take his eyes from his brother's prone position on the floor. His face had turned a deathly white colour and he had fainted dead away.

'I think he'll be alright.'he said gently, 'he's so off his face that he's passed out that's all.'

'What was all that religious stuff about?' Alan wondered aloud.

'I've no idea Al.' Virgil replied, 'but if I ever get ,my hands on that Commander...fancy getting him that drunk and then leaving him. Sounds like it's a really good job we came with him, on this 'little' trip!'

'You got that right Virg.' Scott seconded, 'I dread to think where our little brother would have ended up like that, on his own!'

Alan nodded

'Alright, you two get him comfortable. I'm gonna get this baby off the ground.'

Virgil and Alan hauled Gordon onto the sick bed in the corner of Thunderbird One. Virgil found the first aid kit and swabbed at his brother's head with a cold compress. Alan found the paracetamol , Gordon was going to be needing that when he woke up.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, two hours into the journey home, Gordon woke up.

The first thought that came into his head was that wherever he was it was too bright, the second was that he was lying down, the third was that he had no idea how he'd got there.

'Ah sleeping beauty awakens' he heard a familiar voice say.

'Let's hope he's in a better frame of mind this time hey Virg?' stated another, 'you have got the restraints handy haven't you?'

Restraints? Gordon thought as he recognised his brothers' voices. What the hell did they need restraints for.

He opened his eyes slowly, and saw two pairs of eyes peering at him, warily.

'UHHHHH!' he groaned ,unable to form a coherent sentence, with his head throbbing the way it was.

'So, mister you're back in the living?' Virgil's voice asked softly and not without concern.

'Oh my God, where the hell am I?' Gordon managed to utter.

Alan laughed loudly causing Gordon to wince, 'where do you think you are you dumbass, you're in thunderbird One.'

Gordon raised himself slowly to a sitting position, 'I don't understand' he said confused, 'I was in Miami.'

'Oh Boy, you must have been really wrecked.' Virgil snorted in amusement.

'What happened Gordo' Scott chimed in from the pilot seat, 'did you and the Commander have too much to drink?'

Gordon cast a disbelieving look at his brothers, 'I don't even remember meeting him.' He said weakly.

'What do you remember?' Scott asked, concerned that the alcohol had affected his brother this badly.

'I remember going to the 'Fair lady' and it was closed, I went for a look to see if I could find a way in and then.....'

'And then......' Virgil prompted.

'Nothing' Gordon replied, 'I don't remember anything at all after that.'

Feeling nauseous he hung his head between his legs as Alan handed him a glass of water and some paracetamol.

'Geez Gordo' he announced rubbing his brother's back supportively, 'I can't remember ever seeing you that drunk.'

'What was I doing?' Gordon mumbled

'You were ranting and raving like a lunatic, it took all three of us to get you into Thunderbird One, and..' Virgil replied looking wounded, 'you hit me in the shoulder...' at a rolling of the eyes from Alan, he re-iterated, 'really hard!'

'Why don't I remember this?' Gordon said aloud to himself.

'That's what serious alcohol consumption does to you.' Scott replied, 'you scared us Gordo, don't do that again'.

'Sorry' Gordon mumbled still unable to believe he had behaved like that, or get rid of the pounding in his head.

'You owe us!' Virgil replied.

Somehow Gordon knew his brothers wouldn't let him forget this.
An hour later as Thunderbird One landed on Tracy Island,Gordon turned to Virgil, 'do I look sober?' he asked hopefully, struggling to escape the nauseous ness that kept washing over him.

'Well yeah' Virgil replied grinning, 'you just look ill!'

'Thanks' Gordon replied sarcastically.

The four men stepped from the craft and made their way to the lounge. Jeff sat at his desk and he looked up as his sons entered.

'Well Boys?' he asked 'why are you half an hour late?'

Alan and Virgil looked at Scott, he was the eldest, it was up to him to come up with an excuse.

But as Scott struggled to think of something, Gordon spoke up, 'It was my fault Dad.'

Jeff turned to his second youngest in surprise, 'You're fault?'

Scott thought their was a time and a place for telling the truth and this was not one of them. 'Yeah Dad, uh Gordo spent ages in this queue in this little gift-shop' he said, amazed at how easily the lie came to him.

'Hmmphh' Jeff sounded unconvinced, 'a gift shop eh?'

Gordon heard his father's voice but he had trouble understanding it, it sounded as if a tape had become unravelled, Jeff's voice became slower and louder, 'IIIIIIII WWOOOOOUUUUULLDN'T BEEEEE STTAAAAANNDING AROOOOOUND INNNN GIIIIIIFT SHOOOOOOOPS SOOOOOON!'

Gordon tried to focus as two Jeff Tracys appeared in front of him, both blurry and shadowed.

'I..' he stammered, 'why are....what's going on here Dad?' he murmered as the pounding in his head rose to a crescendo and he fell into the welcoming darkness.
**************************************************************************** ***************
OH DEAR! How will the Hood continue with his evil plan? Will Gordon remember what happened in Miami? Will the Tracys find out what is wrong with their brother? Is the world ready for two Jeff Tracys?

Find out in Chapter three of 'It's All In The Mind'.