DESPITE outnumbering him two to one, Kayo and Gordon found themselves at a clear disadvantage. Their stun weapons were still in their holsters whilst Ross's rifle was loaded and aimed directly at them. Kayo knew her suit was strong enough to deflect any bullets that were fired at her. Gordon's was also tough, but they'd never have tested to see if it was bullet-proof and they didn't want to risk it…or test Ross's patience for that matter. They therefore raised their hands.
"Hey, Ross," said Gordon. "Fancy meeting you here."
"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE US ALONE!" Ross bellowed.
Just then Toni and Bob appeared from behind a nearby tree and stared in shock at what was going on. "Dad, what are you doing?!" they exclaimed.
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE TREES!" Ross shouted over his shoulder at them. He took his eyes off Kayo and Gordon for a moment so Kayo attempted to move forwards to try and disarm him, but he turned back before she could. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
"Dad…what's going on?" asked Toni. "Put your gun down!"
"Yeah, they're here to help us!" added Bob.
"NO!" Ross shouted. He was shaking like a leaf and sweat was flooding down his face. His eyes darted between Gordon and Kayo and back again as did his rifle. "You're not taking them from me."
"We're not going to take them from you, Ross!" snapped Gordon. "Stop doing this, please!"
Bob and Toni were confused. "Take us away?" said Bob.
"Dad, what are they talking about?" asked Toni.
But Ross was unable to answer. He hadn't planned to reveal what their mother had been planning to do until they were as far away from Australia as they could get. His shaking continued to get worse.
"You haven't told them, have you, Mr Anderson?" Kayo said. "Why don't you now?"
Virgil laid the severely wounded man found by Gordon and Kayo down on a medical bed inside Thunderbird 2's module. He treated the wounds as best he could and made him as comfortable as could be. "You've lost a lot of blood," he said. "But these dressings should keep you from losing anymore until we can get you to hospital."
"Th-Thank…you…" said the man gratefully.
"What's your name, by the way?" Virgil asked. "And what were you doing on that island?"
"My name…is Craig…" said the man. "I am…crocodile…hunter."
Virgil's initial care for the man turned into a scowl. "A crocodile hunter?" he repeated. "Huh. Looks like the crocodile found you instead. Just lie there. We'll get you to the mainland ASAP." He left the man and headed back to the cockpit. "Thunderbird 5, you said Sorna is a restricted area, right?"
"That's correct, Virgil," said John. "Why do you ask?"
"Because the guy that Kayo and Gordon found says he's a crocodile hunter," said Virgil. "Does that mean he was trespassing on the island?"
John frowned. "If that's true, then he most definitely was," he said. "Seems karma found him. Are you going to take him to the hospital?"
"His wounds are severe but he should be fine for a little while with the treatment I've given him," said Virgil. "But I'm not going to leave Gordon, Kayo or the Andersons on that island. How are they doing?"
"Let's see," said John, checking the map of the island. Then he froze. "Oh, no…"
"What's wrong?"
"They've found them alright," said John. "And Mr Anderson's not coming quietly by the looks of it. He has them both at gunpoint!"
Virgil felt his heart skip a beat. "Not for long," he said with a grimace. "I'm gonna put Thunderbird 2's engines on quiet-mode. I should therefore be able to sneak up on him."
"Then you can use a stun-grenade to take him out if the kids aren't too close to him," said John. "Good plan, Virgil. I'll tell Gordon and Kayo discreetly."
Virgil moved Thunderbird 2 over to the clearing, using a special device attached to the engines that made the engines sound a lot quieter than normal. He hoped that Ross wouldn't notice then the surprise could be sprung.
As Gordon and Kayo continued to stare Ross down, they tried not to react as John's voice came in a whisper through their helmet radios. "Gordon, Kayo, don't react. Virgil's above you. Keep Mr Anderson distracted so he can take him out with a stun-grenade."
Ross was still not prepared to tell the children the truth about what was going on. "Get behind me," he ordered the kids.
"But, Dad…"
"DO IT!" he bellowed, forcing the scared kids to comply. They'd never known their dad be like this before.
"Ross, buddy, please," Gordon said. "We need to get off this island. It's not safe here."
"We wouldn't be on this damn island if you'd just left us alone!" Ross snarled. "You're not taking us anywhere!"
"And if we leave you, how will you get off the island?" asked Kayo.
Ross didn't answer. He clearly hadn't even thought of that. "We'll find a way," he said. "Now I want you both to turn around…and leave. Right…now."
Gordon shook his head. "Sorry, pal. Not gonna happen. We're not leaving this island without any of you."
Ross clicked the rifle, startling the kids whilst Gordon and Kayo braced themselves. "I won't tell you again…" he said with gritted teeth. "Leave…us…alone!"
Virgil was now in position with Thunderbird 2. The multi-purpose cannon had been lowered and was pointing down towards the ground. Virgil wasn't satisfied with how things were looking. If I shoot this down, I could hurt the kids, he thought to himself. "Gordon, Kayo, if you can somehow grapple Mr Anderson and get him away from the kids, I can take him out with the stun-grenade. I can't if the kids are behind him."
Gordon and Kayo heard Virgil's words but of course couldn't acknowledge him, only each other.
"What are you waiting for?!" Ross snapped impatiently. "I…said…LEAVE!"
It was at that moment that Gordon's attention was suddenly grabbed by something. Behind where Ross and the kids were standing was the swampy area of the island. A large greyish-brown object was sitting roughly ten metres away from them. If any of them had seen it, they would have simply disregarded it as a fallen tree trunk. But it was when it began to move that it caught Gordon's attention. Hey, what's that? Gordon wondered to himself. He didn't need to wonder for long before he realised what the object was wasn't a log at all. It was death. "VIRGIL! CROCODILE!"
"WHERE?!" Virgil shouted back.
ROAAAR!
The terrifying sound caused the Andersons to spin around towards the swamp, where they found themselves looking straight into the open mouth of a giant crocodile with many vicious teeth looking to have at least one of them for a snack. Toni and Bob screamed in fright, running away and knocking Ross over. He fell backwards into the mud and watched on in terror as the giant reptile lunged towards him as he was now the nearest target.
As the kids ran to Gordon for protection, Kayo pulled out her stun-gun and began shooting at the crocodile, but her stun projectiles didn't have the power to penetrate its extremely thick skin.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!" Virgil's voice hollered over Thunderbird 2's tannoy as he targeted the crocodile with the stun-grenade and fired it from the cannon. The grenade landed close to the crocodile and detonated. The bright flash of white light and accompanying smoke caused the reptile to roar again in anger before it turned away and retreated at speed back into the swamp where it submerged and disappeared from view.
The whole attack lasted less than fifteen seconds. Now everyone was standing, gasping for breath, staring back into the swamp.
Gordon now found himself holding onto the two terrified children who had their arms wrapped tightly around his waist whilst sobbing into his uniform. "It's alright, kids," Gordon said, trying to calm them down. "It's okay, we've scared him away."
The children continued to sob whilst shaking with fear. Their adventure of a lifetime had turned into a terrible nightmare.
Kayo eased cautiously towards Ross who was still on the ground. His eyes were firmly fixed on the spot where the crocodile had disappeared from. He, like the children, was in total shock by what had just happened. "Ross?" Kayo said in a low, calm voice. "You know what that was, right? It was a crocodile, and it nearly had your kids."
Ross's voice finally seemed to come back. "I…I saw it…" he gasped. "It…almost…" He turned around and saw Toni and Bob clinging onto Gordon. The anger he'd been building up whilst trying to get International Rescue to leave him alone had been replaced with guilt. "I…I'm sorry!" he called over to the kids, but they were too upset to hear him.
Kayo took the opportunity to pick up Ross's rifle and remove the bullets from it. "Come on," she said. "I think your little trip has reached its end."
Ross didn't answer. Without his weapon, he had no means of trying to fight anyone off. His mission to take his kids as far away from his ex-wife as possible had been thwarted.
With Kayo, Gordon, the Andersons and Thunderbird 4 all recovered, Thunderbird 2 could now start making its way South-West towards Australia. Kayo programmed Thunderbird Shadow to return to Tracy Island as it was getting low on fuel. Also she wanted to make sure that Ross was handed over to the authorities and the children safely returned to their mother.
Not wanting the kids to see the injured Craig, the Andersons were taken to the cockpit to be watched over by Gordon whilst Kayo tended to Craig. Fortunately he didn't need much keeping an eye on due to the condition he was in, but they kept an eye on him regardless to make sure his condition didn't get worse.
Bob and Toni's shock of the crocodile attack slowly began to fade away and they began to get excited at being inside a Thunderbird. This was largely due to Gordon getting Virgil's permission to show them around the cockpit and tell them what certain things were.
"This is the navigation computer," Gordon was saying. "It's this that tells us where we need to go in the world. The red wheels are the steering consoles. They're great fun to use." He got a minor look from Virgil but it ended with a knowing smirk.
"What does this button do?" asked Bob, finding a red button on the right side of the cockpit not far behind where Virgil was sitting.
"Ah, you don't want to touch that," said Gordon. "That lowers the floor."
"The floor?" asked Toni.
"Indeed," said Gordon. "That round section of floor lowers so we can get in and out easily if we don't need anything inside the module."
Ross had been sitting at the very back of the cockpit in one of the seats all by himself. He hadn't said a word to anyone since he'd called his apology to the kids after the crocodile attack. Not even the kids. And they hadn't made any attempt to talk to him either. He didn't know if they were upset with him or not, but he felt pretty sure they were. He had so many thoughts and emotions racing through his mind, although he did look up periodically and try to listen to what was being said. He wanted to feel happy that his kids seemed to be happy again, but deep down he was really miserable with himself, knowing full well the consequences that his actions would cause when they got back to Brisbane.
"Where's Thunderbird 4?" asked Bob. "Is it still on the island?"
"She sure isn't," laughed Gordon. "She's in the module."
"Can you show us, please?" asked Toni. "We didn't get a chance earlier."
Gordon smiled. "Of course," he said. "Virgil?"
"Go right ahead," replied Virgil. "We've got about twenty minutes before we reach Brisbane."
"Plenty of time," said Gordon. "Follow me."
As Gordon led the kids out of the door at the rear of the cockpit, Ross looked over at them, hoping to try and catch their attention. He did not, and they didn't even look at him. He could feel his heart breaking now. He began to sob quietly. So quietly that Virgil didn't hear him. Ross then looked up and over at the controls behind him, and in particular the red button that Bob had asked about.
Gordon took the children into the module where they could get a good look at Thunderbird 4. They had no idea that this was actually a different Thunderbird 4 to the one they'd seen that morning, but that was probably because of the two looking identical. Gordon hoped they wouldn't notice Craig on the bed across from the module and luckily they didn't.
Kayo passed them as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Guided tour?" she asked with a smile.
"Of course," Gordon smiled back. "Going to show them inside Thunderbird 4."
"Enjoy," Kayo said to Toni and Bob. "I'm going to talk with Virgil about something." She then whispered "He's stable," referring to Craig and then headed up the stairs.
Gordon nodded. He knew she'd whispered so as to not attract the kids' attention. He then followed them to the back of Thunderbird 4 and opened the rear doors so they could have a look inside.
"Woah…" said Toni, awestruck.
"This is so cool!" agreed Bob.
Ross slowly stood up from his seat and walked over towards the control panel. He looked at the red button, then at the floor, and then back at the button.
Virgil could sense someone was standing near behind him so he glanced over his shoulder. "You okay, Mr Anderson?" he asked before turning back to the windows.
There were a few moments of silence before Ross finally answered. "No…No, I'm not."
Virgil couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for Ross. "I'm sorry," he said. "Sorry for what you're all-" He didn't get to finish before an alarm suddenly rang out. "What the?!" He then heard a whirring sound coming from behind. He turned his head sharply round and was horrified to see Ross descending downwards via the lowering floor. "ROSS!" he shouted, hastily putting Thunderbird 2 on autopilot and unfastening his safety-belt before dashing over to the round hole in the floor. He looked down to see Ross getting further away from him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Virgil asked.
Ross looked up at him with a mournful expression. "Tell my kids I love them," he said. It had been his intention to jump off the platform once it was out in the open, but due to the speed that Thunderbird 2 was going at, added with the strong winds at the altitude they were at, he was simply blown off it instead and disappeared from Virgil's view.
"NO!" Virgil shouted as he punched the button to close the floor again, just as Kayo entered the cockpit.
Kayo stopped dead at the sight of Virgil's dashing about. "Virgil, what's happened?"
"Anderson's jumped!" Virgil snapped as he leapt back into his seat and took manual control.
"What?!" exclaimed Kayo, now noticing Ross wasn't there anymore.
"Strap in!" Virgil ordered. "Gordon! Where are the kids?"
"We're inside Thunderbird 4," Gordon answered.
"Strap in, all of you!"
"Virgil, what-"
"DO IT!"
Gordon was stunned by Virgil's instruction. "Okay…Kids, sit in these." He got the kids to sit in two of Thunderbird 4's safety seats located in the back of the submersible and then sat himself in one opposite. As he did so, they could feel Thunderbird 2 making a sharp turn to the right.
"What's going on?" asked Toni.
"I have no idea," Gordon replied.
With Thunderbird 2 now turned, Virgil pushed it up to full power to try and get back to where Ross had exited the craft. "Thunderbird 5, Anderson's jumped out of Thunderbird 2! I need to catch him before he hits the water! Can you track him?"
John moved the holographic displays on his computer to comply with Virgil's instructions. "I got him!" he said. "He's at 7,000 feet and falling. How did he get out?"
"He activated the floor lift!" said Virgil sharply. "I see him. He's mine!" He grimaced hard as he began to push Thunderbird 2 into a steep dive and accelerated the engines to overtake Ross whose body was spinning as he fell towards the ocean below.
"How are you gonna catch him?" asked Kayo.
"The same way I caught that dad who fell out of a balloon!" Virgil said. He then levelled Thunderbird 2 out and adjusted the thrust to slow the descent that would allow Ross to catch up with them. "Take the controls," he said to Kayo as he unbuckled himself and left the seat. He hurried to the back and attached a safety-line to his harness. "When I give the word, fire the VTOL thrusters."
Kayo took the controls. "You got it!" she said determinedly.
"4,000 feet," John said over the radio.
Virgil reached up and opened the hatch on the top of Thunderbird 2. The suction of air pulled him upwards but the safety-line prevented him from being taken away from the ship. Soon he found himself level with the falling Ross.
Unlike the dad who'd fallen from the balloon, Ross wasn't at all happy when he saw Thunderbird 2 was now below him and Virgil had come out to get him. "NO! NO! NO!" he yelled, trying to fend Virgil off. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
But Virgil grabbed Ross's wrists and clung onto them tightly. "GOT YOU!" he said before yelling into his radio. "NOW, KAYO!"
"2,000 feet!" John said over the radio as Kayo punched the button that fired the VTOL engines. They roared into life and Thunderbird 2 began to slow, causing Virgil and Ross to drop back down into the cockpit and hit the floor hard.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAA RRHH!" THUD! "UUUUHHHH!"
Thunderbird 2 then came to a stop, less than fifty metres from the surface of the sea, the downforce of the jets disrupting the water momentarily before the power lifted them up again.
When saving the dad from the balloon, Virgil had turned them around to make sure he took the brunt of the impact. His suit could protect his body. This time however his anger at Ross caused him to forget to do that. As a result, both felt the full force of the impact on the floor. Whilst he now had a slightly sore arm from landing on it, Ross was crying out in agony. "AAAAARGH! MY ARM!" Ross yelled in pain. "I THINK YOU BROKE MY ARM!"
"Serves you damn well right if you he has!" said Kayo angrily coming over after putting Thunderbird 2 on autopilot. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"
But Ross was in too much pain now to answer. He continued to wail in agony as Virgil picked himself up off the floor.
"Idiot!" Virgil snarled furiously. "Stupid…freakin' idiot! Why did you do that?!"
Ross shot both of them a look of equal fury. "I…had…to!" he only just managed to say before Kayo let out an angry bellow and punched him in the face, knocking him out.
Virgil looked at her.
"What? He had that coming!" Kayo snapped.
"I'm glad you did that," Virgil said. "Because your fist isn't as heavy as mine is." He then walked back to the controls, still fuming. "Put him in the holding bay. I'm not letting him jeopardise us all again!"
"Glady," said Kayo. She used her suit's power to lift the now unconscious Ross up off the floor. She did also check to see what injuries he'd sustained before moving him. The scans showed no broken bones but he was going to have some very severe bruises. She therefore carried him towards the back section of Thunderbird 2's nose before the door that led into the module and placed Ross inside one of the holding cells. "He's secure," she said. "I'm gonna check on the others."
"And I'll get us to dry land in double quick time," Virgil said over the radio. "I want that guy off my ship now!"
Kayo couldn't have agreed more as she made her way into the module and to the back of Thunderbird 4. "You guys okay?" she asked once the doors opened.
"Yeah, we're fine," said Gordon.
"What happened?" asked Toni.
"Slight spot of engine trouble," Kayo lied. "But it's all sorted now."
Gordon frowned, but the children believed her.
"That was awesome!" said Bob. "It was like being on a roller-coaster!"
"You too have a look around in here," Gordon said once they'd all unfastened themselves from the seats. "I'll be outside. But don't touch anything please."
Eager to see more of Thunderbird 4, the children headed off, promising to do as Gordon said. Gordon and Kayo then went around the side of Thunderbird 4 to talk in private.
"Kayo, that wasn't an engine failure. Thunderbird 2 doesn't get those. What really happened?"
Kayo let out a sigh, then checked to make sure the kids were out of earshot. "Anderson tried to commit suicide," she said.
Gordon stared in disbelief. "What?! How?!"
"Maybe you should be more discreet about telling people what the buttons in our ships do?" said Kayo disapprovingly. "Like the ones that open moving floors perhaps?"
Gordon suddenly felt sick in the stomach. He realised now what had happened and was enraged. "Damn it, Ross!" he cursed. "Did you get him?"
"Yeah, we got him," said Kayo. "He's in the holding bay. Just make sure the kids don't see him when you take them back to the cockpit."
Gordon nodded and then went back to Thunderbird 4 without a word.
Gordon went to see Ross after he'd come to. "How are you doing?" he asked through the door of the holding bay. They could talk via a two-way microphone that Gordon could control from the outside.
"Like a kangaroo's doo-doo," Ross replied grumpily.
Gross… Gordon thought to himself. "I heard what you did," he said. "Why?"
Ross rounded on him like an angry bull. "BECAUSE I WANTED TO DIE!" he bellowed. "My kids have not spoken to me since we left the island," he added more softly, tears streaking down his cheeks. "I've ruined everything. I've ruined their lives. I just…didn't want to lose them." He shifted on the seat in the holding cell. "You all should have let me die, Gordon. I don't deserve another chance."
"You're right," said Gordon. "You don't deserve another chance. But your kids will give you one. Trust me."
Ross looked at him. "You…think so?" he asked, sounding unsure.
"You're their dad," said Gordon. "They'll always love you, no matter what happens." He then walked away, leaving Ross with a lot to think about.
Thunderbird 2 landed at the Navy base in Brisbane where the Police were waiting to take Ross away. As Kayo and Gordon escorted Ross down the ramp of the module, they saw Virgil take Toni and Bob over to where a Police officer had brought their mother, of whom they had an emotional reunion with. An Ambulance crew also took away Craig so he could be treated at the nearby hospital.
Ross watched sadly. Although he was glad Tracey was far away from him. He didn't want to hear the abuse she was likely going to throw at him. In fact he noticed Virgil and the Police Officers had blocked her off so that she couldn't get near him. "It's over, isn't it?" he said miserably. "Tracey has all the proof she needs to get her way. I'll never see them."
"Those are smart kids," said Kayo. "I had a quiet word with them and told them to make sure she can let them see you again."
Ross gave her a surprised look. "I can't see how…but…thanks," he said. He turned to Gordon. "I'm so sorry, Gordon. I've been a complete idiot, haven't I?"
Gordon didn't like to say he was even though he knew how true it was. He decided to be sympathetic. "What was you did was stupid and reckless, yes, Ross. but like I said, your kids will give you another chance. You just need to wait for it to come."
Ross gave a weak smile as he allowed the Police Officers to put handcuffs on his hands in front of him. "Thank you," he said gratefully. He offered no resistance as the officers began to take him away.
"Do you think you got through to him?" Kayo asked as they watched Ross head away.
"I sure hope so," Gordon replied. "No family should have to go through what they have."
Virgil then returned. "Mother and kids reunited," he said. "Although it was hard to stop her from trying to come over and telling Mr Anderson what she thought of him. I think she'd have done some serious damage to him if she did."
"I can imagine," said Kayo. "Let's hope they can sort this out."
"Agreed," said Virgil. "Although there's one thing that I've been wondering about."
"What's that?" asked Gordon.
Virgil looked over towards Ross who was approaching a Police Car. then he turned back to them. "Why does she want full custody of the kids?"
Gordon and Kayo looked at each other. That thought hadn't even crossed their minds.
"I guess we'll never know," said Gordon.
"It's not really our place to know either," said Kayo. "Can we go home, please? I'm getting hungry."
Virgil and Gordon agreed and together they began to walk back up the ramp into Thunderbird 2.
Ross was about to be put in the Police Car when a grey regular-looking car pulled up close-by. Two men in smart black suits and wearing dark sunglasses stepped out. They walked over to the Police Car as one of the officers was just opening the door for Ross to get in. "Hold it there, please!" the taller of the two men called.
The officers looked at them in confusion. "Is something wrong?" asked one of them.
The two men took out ID badges after removing their sunglasses. "Agent Case," said the tall man. "This is Agent Kennedy. We're from ASIS." He then looked at Ross. "And we've been after this one for years. Hello, Johnny," he finished with a triumphant smirk.
Ross went pale. He stared at the Agent for a few seconds. Then suddenly, before anyone realised what was happening, he grabbed the gun from the holster of the officer beside him. Despite his hands being cuffed in front of him, he yanked it out of the holster and aimed it at Agent Case. BANG! Agent Case fell to the floor as the eyes from everyone in the vicinity jumped at the sound of the gunshot. BANG! Now Agent Kennedy fell to the ground having tried to draw his own weapon. Ross then shoved the officer whose gun he'd taken aside and began to run away along a nearby jetty.
Kayo and the two brothers had just turned in time to see Ross shoot the second agent after being startled by the first gunshot. They watched in horror as Ross ran along the jetty with the gun in his hands whilst the group of Police and Naval Security officers pulled out their weapons and began to chase after him.
"STOP!"
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
"DROP THE WEAPON!"
Ross spun back around and began shooting at them. BANG! BANG! BANG! One bullet hit an officer and she fell to the ground. Another bullet grazed the shoulder of a Naval Security Man and the third didn't hit anything.
Gordon sprinted out from Thunderbird 2 and ran towards the scene. "STOP! STOP!" he yelled.
"GORDON, NO!" Virgil bellowed as he and Kayo chased after him.
Ross's shooting and hits on the officers forced the others to open fire. One scored a hit on Ross's right shoulder and he toppled off the jetty, hitting the water in front of a moored patrol boat. The officers ran to the edge and looked over to see where he'd gone. He didn't come up.
Gordon leapt into the water without his helmet and began swimming frantically underwater to try and locate Ross. but he couldn't find him. Eventually he was forced up to breathe but dived down a few more times before he was eventually grabbed by some Navy divers and pulled out of the water. Once back on dry land, Gordon vented his anger at the Police. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!" he bellowed. "WHY DID YOU SHOOT HIM?!"
A Police Sergeant grabbed Gordon by the arm and marched him back towards the Agents cars. He pointed to what lay beside it. "That's why!" he snapped.
Gordon stared in frozen horror at the sight of the two dead agents lying on the ground. He had no more words. He just continued to stare, trembling in shock whilst Virgil and Kayo exchanged equally disturbed glances with one another.
"Virgil…" Kayo eventually said, finding her voice. "What the hell did we get involved with?"
Virgil wished he had the answer.
John wasn't used to giving presentations in person, but on this occasion he was. After hearing about what had happened at the Brisbane Navy Base, he had started doing some digging. He also informed Jeff, who had returned from England with Scott when it had happened and got in touch with some of his own contacts. By the time Thunderbird 2 had returned to Tracy Island, John had come down from Thunderbird 5, where they could give the explanation that Gordon, Virgil and Kayo were needing. From the projector in the table was the hologram image of a man with thick brown hair and a big bushy beard.
"Johnny Cuba - the most wanted man in Australia," John was saying. "He's been eluding the authorities for over twenty years."
"What crimes has he committed?" asked Kayo.
"I think the better question, Kayo, is what crimes hasn't he committed?" said Jeff.
"Murder. Robbery. Kidnapping. Manslaughter. GBH. You name it, he's done it," said John. "And he has never once been caught."
"Then why change his appearance?" asked Virgil. "And how come he's managed to raise a family with that record?"
"Easily," said Jeff. "After robbing the Central Bank of Sydney, he was pursued through the streets before crashing his car into the harbor near the Opera House. His car was recovered along with many of the stolen bars of gold. But his body wasn't found. The authorities wouldn't accept him as 'dead' unless his body was found and identified."
"So he managed to give them the slip, and start a new life with what little wealth he had managed to get," said John. "He met Tracey Baker a few weeks after the robbery in Canberra where he had shaved his head and got rid of the beard. He then took the name Ross Anderson to hide his true identity and they soon fell in love. Over a period of fifteen years, they had two children and raised them well. But Ross started gambling and soon got into debt. He kept borrowing money off Tracey but she quickly realised what he was doing. Angry, she threatened to divorce him. He didn't take her seriously and then when she did, he was not only shocked, but angry when she revealed she intended to take full custody of the kids as well."
"Which was why he kidnapped them to make sure she couldn't," Kayo said.
"Correct," said Jeff. "Whether she found out about his real identity, we don't know. Maybe the Police or the ASIS have revealed to her the truth, but I guess we'll never know."
"So…is he gone?" asked Virgil.
"Did you see a body?" asked Jeff.
Kayo and Virgil shook their heads.
"Then until a body is found, I'm not believing it," said Jeff.
"Unfortunately, finding Johnny Cuba isn't our problem," said Jeff. "We've filled the GDF in on this and they will give any resource they can spare to help the Australian authorities find Cuba…wherever he may be hiding."
Gordon hadn't said a word during the presentation. In fact, he hadn't said a word since he'd yelled at the Police Sergeant back in Brisbane. He suddenly stood up and walked silently out of the room, not looking at any of them.
"Gordon?" Virgil began.
Kayo stopped him from following. "Leave him, Virgil. He needs some alone time."
Kayo was right. Gordon walked out of the house, across the lido and past the pool before heading down the path to the beach. The Sun was setting, but behind the island and where Gordon was it was almost completely dark. He had never felt anger like this before. Even his content for Grafton, The Hood and The Cabal did not seem to be anywhere on the scale that this was. He felt so sure that he'd gotten through to the man he'd helped to rescue. The man he thought he knew as Ross Anderson had been very guilty after the crocodile attack, so much that he had even tried to commit suicide by jumping out of Thunderbird 2. But now…even after the talks and the apology, Gordon felt nothing but rage against the man who had deceived his own wife and endangered his children, all to hide who he really was…a vicious criminal.
As he stood by the water's edge, Gordon's rage prevented him from even feeling the waves as they splashed around his shoes and up to his ankles. He clenched his fists tightly and looked up into the dark, moody sky. "I am by no means religious…" he said. "But Lord, if you can hear this…heaven help me if I ever find that man…for I may not be responsible for my actions…!"
