3 Half-brothers
The sun was just setting over the Malaysian jungle as The Hood stormed into his temple hide-out. He was in a foul mood. One of his subordinates had been returning with the last payment in gold and jewels from a foreign government for whom The Hood had obtained some secret information. It had been a routine journey, but then the fool had been stopped by Customs officials, and as he was unable to give a valid explanation for the goods he was carrying, or produce proper documentation, the treasure had been impounded. At first The Hood had suspected the man of keeping the treasure for himself, until the fool had managed to convince him of his innocence. Still, at least he had not lived long to regret his mistake, and maybe his death would improve the performance of the other imbeciles that worked for him.
The Hood ground his teeth, thinking of the wasted effort on that project. Still, he had plenty of other irons in the fire. He glanced towards the dais in the centre of the temple, where once the altar had stood. Whatever gods had originally been worshipped in this place had long since gone. The only gods The Hood worshipped were his own evil genius and lust for power. He moved in front of the dais and waved his hand through a photo-electric beam that swung aside the beaded curtains and switched on the lights (he had always had a taste for drama) illuminating an eight-foot high bronze statue of his half-brother, Kyrano. He had heard little in the news about International Rescue lately. It was high time he 'dropped in' on that idiot brother of his to see what was happening. After all, he smiled to himself, families had a duty to keep in touch.
It was mid-afternoon on Tracy island, and Kyrano entered his room in the self-contained flat that Jeff had provided for him and his daughter. He sat down in his favourite chair by the window that looked out onto his prize orchid garden. This had always been his time for meditation, but lately it was becoming more often time for an afternoon nap. He had to admit that the years were starting to catch up with him. He was happy now to leave more of the running of the household to Mr Scott's young wife. When Miss Elizabeth had first arrived on the island, their shared background in hotel management had given them a common bond, and he had been impressed by the calm and efficient way she performed her duties. Though he was not yet ready to retire altogether from looking after the Tracys as he had been doing for so many years, he was content to leave the day-to-day running of the household in her capable hands.
The scents from the garden wafted through the open windows as Kyrano felt his eyes grow heavy. Suddenly, though, he was aware that something was wrong – that this was no ordinary drowsiness. There was a rustling in his ears, and a faint mist started to obscure his thoughts. He struggled. "No, keep away! Let me go!"
A mocking voice echoed in his head. "Kyrano, my dear brother! Is that any way to greet your oldest living relative?"
In his temple, The Hood stood in front of the bronze statue, his eyes gleaming. "Kyrano! You are powerless before me. I will see into your mind. You cannot resist!" Kyrano felt the fog invade his mind further, and he felt his will slipping away.
As his brother's mind opened before him, The Hood looked at the thoughts and images it contained. Working this way took more effort than simply asking questions, but he had learned from experience that it was more rewarding. If only his idiot brother had possessed any useful knowledge, like the exact co-ordinates of the Tracys' secret base, or technical information on the Thunderbird craft, but the imbecile was no use in that respect. The one time he had managed to get his brother to do something of practical use had ended badly for The Hood, so he had abandoned any further attempts. He suspected that if he ever got control of that delightful niece of his, that she would be more use in that respect. He still cursed the time he had let her and the young scientist they called Brains slip through his fingers at Lake Anasta, but at the time he had been too distracted by the thought of the treasure in the lake, and so missed the greater treasure he now realised had been within his grasp.
The Hood picked at the thoughts spread out before him, ignoring the white. wriggling worm of his half-brother's personality that lay pinned in a corner of its own mind. The first thought he picked out was am image of Thunderbird 2 lifting off. A rescue? No, Mr Alan has gone to a motor race at Parola Sands The Hood considered this. The young, blond whelp was of little interest to him: perhaps if he had been accompanied by Kyrano's daughter it might have been worth some effort on The Hood's part to capture them both, but, no, not this time. He picked at another thought the lady they call the 'English Rose' has returned home. The Hood's features curled into a snarl. He had had several encounters with the ice-cool, blonde Englishwoman, and each time had come off worse. But, wait now, the mental image that accompanied that thought was of an entirely different person. He made a mental note to investigate this further. Another thought showed Scott Tracy and his new wife sitting together, accompanied by a feeling of anticipation. The Hood pushed further, curious Miss Elizabeth is with child came the response. The Hood felt a wave of anger rise inside him. Many times had he tried to steal International Rescue's secrets, and had been foiled, and most often by that dark-haired devil's spawn, Scott Tracy. The very idea of that blundering young fool being able to thwart the plans of a genius like himself was hard to bear, and the thought of him having a happy family life brought bile to the Hood's throat. He would not allow this! That insolent son of a dog should suffer, as he had made The Hood suffer!
Suddenly, an idea came to him. It was not the slow, lingering fate that he would have liked to mete out to Jefferson Tracy's firstborn, but even if this plan failed he himself would be in no personal danger, and the repercussions might wreck the Tracy family. "Kyrano!" he thundered, "you will listen to me. You will sleep now, and remember nothing of our little chat, but tonight, when the family are asleep, you will KILL SCOTT TRACY!"