Chapter Thirteen
Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat moved quickly but cautiously through the ventilation system of Tracy Island. It was cramped and dusty in the ventilation ducts so none of them was particularly comfortable. Yet despite their very real discomfort they kept going finding there way more through luck than anything else.
They found their way to the control room air vents just as the Hood gained access to the systems. Peering through the main vents above the lift alcoves they saw three of the five intruders in the room with Brains and Kyrano apparently there as prisoners. Try as they might they saw no sign of Peter, Gear or Onaha.
"It's time to make Mr Tracy aware of our presence and intentions," the bald man in the red robe said as he sat in the seat normally occupied by Brains. "Open a communications channel to Thunderbird Five Transom."
"Yes sir," an auburn hared woman in a catsuite replied from another console.
Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat listened intently putting aside their discomfort at the dark, dusty and cramped environment of the ventilation duct. If they were to stand any chance at all of saving themselves, their families and International Rescue itself from these intruders then they needed to know exactly what it was that the intruders were planning to do.
Thunderbird Five
Standing at the main console in the control room of Thunderbird Five with John Jeff Tracy assessed the full extent of the damage inflicted upon the space station by the meteor impact.
It was a long list. The most spectacular damage was naturally the three destroyed sections on the outer ring but the impact had caused collateral damage all over the station. Whole systems had fatally crashed or been blown out altogether, the fusion core was off line since its main regulator controls had been fried and melted by a random power surge caused at the moment of impact. Secondary power generators had taken serious damage from the shock waves one knocked out all together. The other two were damaged and would soon give out taking almost all emergency power with them, and they couldn't get near the generators to hope to repair them since the maintenance gantries were blocked by debris. The emergency batteries charged directly from the solar power cells built into the stations surface were undamaged but they had been meant as an emergency power supplement. They would not be able to cope with anything near the full energy demands of the space station. They would be able to power the life support systems and artificial gravity plating for a short time but that was all.
They had at least managed to stabilise the station so it was no longer in danger of falling into the atmosphere. They'd even got it back up into its normal orbital position though only just. While the main booster rocket meant for major adjustments in position as opposed to the thirty-two control thrusters – though they only had twenty left operational twelve had been in the destroyed sections of the ring – hadn't been damaged they had had to bypass multiple failed systems to get it to fire. And they'd only been able to fire a few short bursts – the stations structural integrity was too weakened to take any more.
Basically what it boiled down to was they had done all they could up here for now. Thunderbird Five was back in orbit out of danger of destruction but it would take months of repairs and refitting before it was actually really habitable not to mention fully operational again.
"We've done all we can up here haven't we dad," John said his eyes wandering around scanning the wreckage of the control room, taking in the broken bits of bulkhead littering the floor, the open access panels showing charred circuits and broken cables, and the shattered burned consoles.
"Yes John we have for now," Jeff answered. "But don't worry son we'll get the station back operational again but it will take awhile."
Scott, Virgil and Gordon came back into the control room at that moment. All of them were covered in soot and sweat having finished putting out the remaining fires and locking down as many damaged systems as possible.
"Back to Thunderbird Three boys," Jeff said turning to look at them. "It's time to go."
Before any of them could moved however the emergency pressure doors to the control room suddenly slammed closed.
"What the-?" Jeff started to say when abruptly the still functioning main monitor flashed to life showing and unfamiliar bald headed man, backdropped by the familiar sight of the control room on Tracy Island.
"Attention Thunderbird Five you may have noticed that I have taken over your facilities. You can no longer control your operational systems."
Jeff whirled and looked at the face on the screen. And suddenly he understood that somehow the man on the screen had caused this to happen. A meteor hadn't hit Thunderbird Five as Brains had thought; no a missile had hit it. Obviously the attack had been a distraction to draw him and the boys away from Tracy Island allowing this man and whoever was with him to take over control.
"Alright you have our attention. Who are you?" Jeff demanded.
"Oh how rude of me I forgot to introduce myself," the man said. "You can call me the Hood. Now listen here Mr Tracy we won't be negotiating. You are only alive now because I want you to watch while I destroy in hours what it took you years to build. An eye for an eye." Jeff was confused. Who was the Hood? He didn't recognise him at all. He was also angry with him. Angry that this man threatened his family and the institution that he had built in Margaret's memory.
"An eye for an eye," he repeated. "What are you talking about."
"Perhaps you have forgotten me," the Hood replied. "But I am sure you remember saving my brothers life." The Hood nodded to someone off screen and suddenly Kyrano was thrown into the camera's view. "You left me to die that day four years ago," the Hood continued. "You may have broken my body but you have no idea how powerful my mind has become."
Looking at the man Jeff remembered now. Shortly after International Rescue had begun operating Kyrano had gone on a routine supply run to the US mainland in a jet they kept on the island for the purpose of getting around. He didn't return and the plane was found left at the private aircraft terminal of Orlando airport where it had landed.
For several weeks there had been not a sight nor sound of Kyrano and everyone even Onaha had begun to fear him dead. Then they'd received a distress call from an illegal diamond mine in Malaysia that was collapsing. Naturally they'd come charging to the rescue and found Kyrano there kidnapped by his own brother Trangh to work in the mine along with many others. They'd saved Kyrano and many others but when the main shaft started to collapse they'd been forced to seal the mine trapping Trangh and many others inside. It had been an agonising decision for Jeff to make but he'd had no choice. Now it appeared that Trangh Belagant was back.
And he was after revenge.
"Now you will suffer Mr Tracy as I did," the Hood said. "Waiting for a rescue that will never come. And you will also watch as I use the Thunderbirds to rob the biggest banks in the world starting with the Bank of England. The worlds monetary system will be thrown into chaos causing a global recession and International Rescue held responsible. Instead of heroes you'll be villains and you might just live long enough to see it happen." With that the Hood gave an evil laugh before breaking off the communications link.
Jeff, John, Scott, Virgil and Gordon all stared at the screen in horror for a moment. They had to stop him. But before they could even do anything the emergency lights went dark as did the few console lights and monitors that had still been working. And they heard both remaining secondary generators spooling down having been deactivated from the ground.
Artificial gravity vanished and they started to float helplessly off the floor. Then the emergency batteries automatically cut in and gravity returned along with emergency lighting and a single part of the main console.
John recovered first from suddenly being yanked to the deck again. He moved to the console and checked the readings.
"The emergency batteries have cut in," he said.
"How long have they given us," Virgil asked.
"About four hours," John replied.
"Four hours," Jeff repeated. "Can you open the pressure door." John tried but nothing happened.
"Negative we've been locked out of the system. All computer control has been routed to the island. Manual release won't work. Air in the corridors to the airlock is being vented into space."
"Then what do we do," Gordon asked.
"I don't know," Jeff replied. "But were not going down without a fight."
"But what can we do," Virgil asked.
"First off try to regain control of the environmental systems and door controls," Jeff said decisively. "Then back to Thunderbird Three. If the Hood thinks he's killed us he's got another thing coming."
"FAB," all four boys said in unison and set about work. They were the thunderbirds they would not go down or let their name be dishonoured without a fight.
Ventilation Shaft
Tracy Island
Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat listened intently as the Hood outlined his plan to destroy International Rescue. And they knew that it was up to them to stop him and save the rest of the Tracy family now trapped up on the crippled Thunderbird Five.
Leaning back against the wall of the duct Tin-Tin's mind was a whirl. She found she could not believe what the Hood had said to Jeff about leaving him to die while saving his brothers – her fathers – life. If the Hood were speaking the truth about Kyrano being his brother then that would make the Hood her uncle. And she didn't want to believe that it could be true. That a member of her own family would want to destroy the Thunderbirds and the family that had given her immediate family so much. If it hadn't been for the generosity of Jeff Tracy she would not have enjoyed the life she had enjoyed on this island paradise for almost nine years, or had the education that she had had. It wasn't fair that one of her own relations wanted to destroy that.
"The Hoods my uncle," she whispered horrified and disbelieving. Alan and Fermat immediately turned their full attention to her.
"Every family has its black sheep," Fermat told her softly. Alan nodded in agreement with Fermat and put a comforting hand on Tin-Tin's shoulder. Like Fermat he could tell that the Hood being related to her had come as an unwelcome revelation to Tin-Tin.
Alan's movement stirred up a cloud of dust that drifted towards Fermat. Who inhaled them and immediately he sneezed. Loudly!
"Someone's up there," they heard a voice say from below.
And then a hand literally punched up through the metal and concrete wall of the duct and grabbed Alan's leg.
Alan yelled in surprise and pain at the phenomenal strength of the grip. He desperately kicked his leg trying to break free but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't break free. Fermat and Tin-Tin beat at the hand trying to get it to let go but the hand held fast.
Alan abruptly felt the powers within him flare and with nothing to loose he went with it allowing the power to flow through him. To his surprise he didn't feel his hands tingle like they had the last few times when his newly awakened powers had shown themselves or when he had experimented with them earlier just before Thunderbird Three's launch.
Instead the feeling that came was the same light insubstantial feeling that he had felt when his powers had first appeared. But this time it was only in his leg as opposed to his whole body.
His leg shimmered slightly then turned transparent. And abruptly the hand went right through his leg and from below they heard someone hit the ground apparently loosing his balance as a result of loss of the grip, along with a cry of shock and surprise.
Alan stopped the flow of energy and the light insubstantial feeling simply vanished, as his leg became solid once more. So I can selectively phase parts of myself, Alan thought realising what had happened that he'd used his phase power without even realising it. But in away that it did all that was needed at the time i.e. what was needed to get the hand to let go. That could be useful in some way once I've mastered what I can do.
Tin-Tin and Fermat were both shocked when Alan phased his leg causing the hand to pass right through him like there was nothing there. The thud and surprised shout from below showed that they weren't the only ones caught by surprise. Even Alan himself seemed to be surprised when his leg phased indicating that he'd most likely done it more by instinct than conscious thought.
"Come on lets get out of here," Alan said to his friends.
"Back the way we came," Fermat asked. Alan shook his head and opened a grill covering one of the lift shafts to the silos.
"Down here we can get through to the silos," he said. Nodding in agreement Tin-Tin was the first to jump down into the shaft, followed by Fermat with Alan himself bringing up the rear, all three of them yelling as they flew down the shaft.