A/N: Hello! Another chapter, closer to the end! Wow, chapter twenty and 96 reviews! It's just all so cool!
Thanks to: killhill2003, f1r3 and Little-Thief. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love to you all! And f1r3 - get writing girly, I need to see what happens to Tara!
And to miz greenleaf - Thank you so much for your lovely review. I never over look any reviews - I'm so grateful for them all, I really am and your review was so sweet and pretty well timed as I was having such an awful day so it cheered me right up! Let me know when you've started your Thunderbirds fic, ok?
"Ah, welcome back Lady Penelope," The Hood drawled in his unmistakable accent. "So glad you could join us once again."
Penelope scowled at him as the man holding her shoved her inside the room roughly.
"Oh, and the last Tracy. Now we're all one big happy family," The Hood continued, noticing Scott and Harry pushed him down on the floor to sit with the others.
"I ah -," The Hood began but stopped himself. They were one short, again.
"I do believe Harry you've forgotten someone."
Harry looked bewildered and merely stared back at The Hood with an unattractive open mouth.
"The girl?" The Hood said through gritted, annoyed teeth. "Where is she?"
Harry then realised what he was gibbering about. He'd forgotten Sophia, again. But she hadn't been with the other three, had she?
"She wasn't with them," Harry replied feebly, feeling very silly.
"This is getting more and more infuriating. I'm getting tired of waiting for you to get your act together. Find the girl so I can kill her first for causing me so much trouble. I never actually wanted her in the first place," The Hood snapped, glaring at Harry fiercely.
"Yes, sir," Harry muttered and hurried away. The Hood turned back to The Tracy's.
"Not to worry Jeff, once Lady Sophia is back in our presence I'll get on with destroying you once and for all. Of course, Lady Sophia and Lady Penelope will go first, being ladies after-all."
"No!" Virgil cried, unable to hold his tongue any longer. Jeff gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs but it was too late. The Hood had cottoned on and a big smile was stretching across his face.
"Oh, what's this? Weakness in the stronghold? Let's see young Tracy, it can't be Lady Penelope you're harbouring for – that's Daddy's job. Then Lady Sophia must be Tracy's choice. Interesting."
Virgil struggled but because his hands were tied behind his back, he was powerless.
"Virgil, calm down!" John hissed but The Hood had managed to really work him up. This was the longest Virgil had ever been in The Hood's company and he wished he was anywhere else at the moment.
"Urgh, you horrible pathetic old man! You lay one hand on my sister and I'll, I'll -," Penelope shouted angrily, struggling against her tied hands also.
"You'll what?" The Hood asked, feigning interest. "I've managed to trap the entire Tracy family and the notorious Lady Penelope and her side kick Parker all because of some silly little girl really."
"I'm her driver actually," Parker intervened indignantly.
"Well, I remember the day my twelve year old son saved your life," Jeff interjected, pulling the spotlight onto him in a bid to keep it off Sophia for Virgil's sake. Alan smiled sarcastically at The Hood as he bristled at the memory.
"That's right Jeff," He spat venomously. "And I wish with everything I'd killed him that day along with you. Then the world could know just how wonderful the Thunderbirds aren't."
"And tell everyone how great you are? If you're so great why are you currently being foiled by a little girl who's most strenuous activity she's ever done is play volleyball?" Jeff replied, a cocky smile spreading across his face this time.
- - -
About ten minutes before…
"OK, so I'll try this one – ARGHHH!"
Sophia had clicked a small silver button on a sleek and shiny remote control looking contraption only for it to emit a strong and very, very hot burst of orange flames. It almost flew out of her hands but she caught it back and held it tight, scared it might blow up or something
"Bugger!" Sophia cried, smacking the flaming carpet with a nearby cushion she'd grabbed off an armchair. "Christ, the last thing I want to do is burn the place down…"
As Sophia spoke she had an epiphany. Or so she assumed, having never had one before in her life.
Burn the place down…the words rang in her ears, the thought almost too stupid to comprehend. She couldn't, could she?
Turning the small remote thingy around in her hands and coughing slightly from the smoke, she thought the idea over and over. Every second meant another little thread of plan was being added on in her mind, making more and more sense.
Would it work or would she just kill everyone inside the mansion?
Having one last look at Scott's fire maker thingy in her hand, Sophia decided she would just have to find out and hope it would be the former.