Chapter Three

A few minutes later Alan left his bedroom now dressed in comfortable thin clothes better suited to the tropical environment of the island, which his school uniform with its black and grey colouring and thick sweater definitely wasn't. Even with the air conditioning keeping the inside of the house cool and the humidity minimal wearing it had been uncomfortable.

Now dressed in much more appropriate clothing Alan went out to the sun terrace besides the first and smaller of the two swimming pools to find his father and brothers there already and back in normal clothing which like his own was comfortable and thin.

"Dad," Alan said picking up his pace as he came out onto the sun deck. Jeff Tracy turned from where he'd been pouring himself a drink – naturally non-alcoholic since he was completely t-total not even drinking alcohol at Christmas – at the sound of his voice.

Seeing Alan approaching a wide smile crossed Jeff's face he missed seeing his youngest son but like the other four Alan did have to go to boarding school. He was surprised though by how much Alan had grown he seemed a good inch taller and broader shouldered then when he'd last seen him. Alan was turning into a confident young man though it was hard not to look at him and still see a little boy. Kids grow up so fast don't they Jeff, he thought to himself.

Wordlessly he pulled his youngest son to him in a welcoming hug before pulling away and allowing Alan to greet his brothers. There was a considerable degree of back slapping and friendly greetings.

"So how are things going in school," Gordon asked before Jeff could ask himself. Jeff knew he should have expected it. Despite the four-year age gap between them Alan and Gordon were very close and were practically inseparable whenever they were on the island together and could usually be counted on to get themselves into trouble of one kind or another. And that hadn't changed with Gordon getting his Thunderbird wings. They were still the Tracy family's resident mischief-makers.

"Athletically or intellectually," Alan asked.

"Both but especially intellectually am I going to get a nasty surprise when your report card arrives," Jeff asked.

"Well you can rest easy things are going okay," Alan replied trading a grin with Fermat. They both helped each other a lot in school. "Intellectually I still hate Algebra and english literature is a pain especially when its Shakespeare. Why cannot they translate it into modern english?"

"Where would the fun be in that," Lady Penelope asked from where she was joining the Tracy's and the Belagant's for evening meal. "You need to learn to understand culture young Alan. Shakespeare is a good way to learn. Though I will admit it is a little hard to read."

"A little," Alan asked. "Try like impossible."

"You'll just have to try harder," Scott said a slight note of condescension in his voice, he'd never had a problem with Shakespeare when he'd been at the Wharton Academy. And chuckled at the daggered look Alan gave him in return.

"Easy to say smarty-pants," he retorted.

"Okay cut it out none of you start," Jeff said breaking in before anyone could start. He looked pointedly at both Scott and Virgil. "And no teasing Alan please." One of the favourite pass times of Scott and Virgil was baiting their youngest sibling. Which only lead to an argument with Gordon almost invariably wading in on Alan's side.

"Would we bait Alan on purpose," Virgil asked.

"Yes," everyone around the table with the exception of Scott said in unison. Virgil exchanged a look with Scott that said 'rats foiled again'.

Kyrano appeared with Onaha at that moment both of them carrying bowls of soup to start the meal. Tin-Tin followed along behind carrying more bowls. Carefully they placed them in front of everyone before going back and getting there own and joining everyone else.

The first part of the meal passed in silence everyone enjoying their soup in the case of the boys they attacked it with a vengeance since they were all hungry Alan and Fermat included. Naturally they finished before everyone else.

Alan then stood up and went to the drinks counter.

"Anyone want something?" he asked since he was going to pour himself a drink and manners had been drummed into him by dad from an early age.

"Orange juice please Alan," Tin-Tin replied.

"Same here," Virgil added. Alan poured them both orange juice first and brought it over before going back and pouring himself one.

He was walking back over to the table when for the second time in less than half an hour that blinding pain tore through him and he couldn't stop the gasp escaping his lips as he staggered forward and grabbed the back of a chair to steady himself.

Everyone looked at Alan in alarm especially as they could see pain woven across his face, a lot of pain. Almost in unison Jeff, Scott, Virgil and Gordon leaped to their feet and started to move over to see what was the matter.

Alan was completely unaware of it all he was aware of was the pain. It was worse now than it had been up in his room. What is wrong with me? He thought for the second time. What is this pain? Where is it coming from? And then he felt something else happen, suddenly his hands felt cold, really cold but not painful or numb.

Jeff and the boys froze immediately and their eyes went wide in shock as Alan's hands began to glow with a strange silver light that danced around them in a strange spectral aura. Disbelief grew as the glass in Alan's hand and its contents instantly froze the glass frosting over and the orange juice burning turned instantly to orange ice. Ice also began to spread over the chair Alan was holding spreading from the point where his hand touched the wood.

As his sons gaped at their brother in disbelief realisation came to Jeff. Oh my god, he thought, Alan's a metahuman. But how? And then he remembered what had happened ten years ago a few months before the skiing accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife. He'd almost forgotten about how Alan had been exposed to the mutagenic gas that created the first metahumans, he hadn't seemed to be affected at the time. But obviously he was affected, he thought, but why is it only showing up now when it happened ten years ago and what am I going to do now.

The silver glow disappeared from Alan's hands but the pain Alan was experiencing didn't stop instead it got worse and a cry of pain was torn from his lungs right before a strange lightness filled him a feeling of being almost insubstantial. And suddenly he couldn't breath and instinctively began to panic gasping helplessly for air.

Jeff flinched when he heard Alan cry out in pain. Alan like his mother before him had a high tolerance for physical discomfort he had to be in intense pain to cry like that. Indeed the only times Jeff could recall hearing Margaret scream was when she was in the middle of giving birth.

What happened next was in its way even more shocking than the silver glow had been. Alan literally seemed to start shimmering and before there shocked eyes literally turned transparent. The glass and chair frame Alan was touching also went transparent and the cushion that was on the seat simply fell through the suddenly insubstantial chair.

A look of panic had come to Alan's features now and Jeff could see him frantically trying to breath and he felt panic building inside as he watched his son suffocating before him. Was Alan going to die in front of them? Oh please don't let him die, Jeff prayed silently to whoever might be listening, please don't take another one from me. I couldn't bear to go through that again.

Alan was by now panicking wondering if he was indeed dying and what of. Suddenly the pain stopped and he could breath again. Darkness raced up to embrace him and Alan gratefully gave himself up to it.

Jeff darted forward as Alan solidified again before them right before his eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled and would have landed in a heap on the floor had Jeff not quickly caught him.

The frozen glass came free and shattered on contact with the ground by no one noticed.

Jeff quickly checked to see if Alan was breathing, he was he just seemed to be completely out of it. Gently he picked Alan up and cradled his unconscious form in his strong arms.

"Let's get him inside," he said. "Kyrano go and grab a medkit."

"Yes Mr Tracy," Kyrano replied before dashing off to do as he was bid. Medical kits were kept all over the island and the closest was in the kitchen.

Jeff carried Alan inside with his other sons following closely behind with Fermat and Tin-Tin seemingly in a race to follow behind. A shocked Penelope, Parker, Onaha and Brains followed along behind. None of them could believe what they had just witnessed.

Jeff laid Alan out on a couch in the living room.

"What was that," Scott demanded to know. "What just happened?"

"There is only on…. one log… log…logical conclu…sion," Fermat said stuttering heavily. "Alan's a me… meta…hu… human."

"What!" Virgil exclaimed. "How can Alan be a metahuman? He's never been near metagas."

"Actually he was exposed once long ago," Jeff replied.

"What do you mean dad," Scott asked. Jeff sighed.

"A few months before your mother died she went to Dakota City to see Peter. You were all in boarding school and I was in orbit on my last shuttle mission. Since Alan was too young to go to school at the time she took him with her. She left Alan asleep in one of Peter's spare rooms with the window open, as it was hot and muggy. The first of the two mutagenic gas explosions to rock Dakota occurred that night in the docks and you know Peter's place is close to the docks."

"The gas came in through the open window," Gordon guessed. Jeff nodded. "But if Alan was exposed then why is this only happening now. I thought when people are exposed to metagas they change into bang babies immediately."

"Not necessarily Gordon," Brains replied. "There have been a number of documented incidents where people have been exposed to the mutagenic compounds like the one that was twice released in Dakota but who haven't changed immediately. Though a decade is along time for a delayed reaction."

"Perhaps but its obviously happened now," Jeff replied. "Do you know anything at all about metahumans Brains?"

"I'm afraid not," Brains replied. "I'm afraid genetics and organic chemistry were never my strong points I have no idea what to expect to happen next."

"Perhaps Uncle Peter knows someone in Dakota who can help," Virgil suggested. "Someone who can be trusted and can be brought here."

"Its risky," Scott said. "We know our uncle can be trusted but bringing an outsider here."

Jeff considered what to do now. The final call was his. He looked down at his unconscious youngest son. Alan looked peaceful now but who knew what was happening inside him. They needed help here, help from someone who dealt with metahumans and knew what to expect. But as Scott said bringing an outsider to the island was risky. If there was a disaster somewhere in the world and they needed to go then the secrets of International Rescue would be exposed.

He looked at Alan again and came to a decision.

"We'll take the risk," he said. "I'll contact Peter myself. Watch him while I'm gone call me immediately if he wakes up."

"Yes father," Scott replied for all of them.

With that Jeff turned and headed off to his office to contact Peter. Hopefully Peter knew someone in Dakota City who could help them.