"C'mon . . . faster! Where are you?"
Scott was pacing impatiently just behind a gas station just blocks away from where Virgil had told him John and Alan were located. Rather than go charging in on his own, Jeff had ordered him to wait for the rest of the team to arrive. That had been twenty minutes ago, and Scott was getting more and more impatient with each climbing moment.
A tall, dark figure approached Scott from the shadows, and the eldest Tracy tensed. He knew he was in a bad neighborhood, but he honestly didn't think anyone would give him any trouble if he minded his own business.
"Scott?"
Scott let out a sigh of relief. "Dad! About time! Where're the others?"
"We're here."
Gordon and Virgil appeared from the other side of the gas station, eyes blazing with raw energy. They gathered together away from prying eyes, looking to Jeff for the next course of action.
"Do we know how many we're dealing with?" he asked.
Scott nodded. "I scouted the building where Virgil said John's locator was, and according to our heat sensors, there are about eight people in there. If we count two of them as Alan and John, that leaves six we have to deal with."
"Location?" Gordon asked.
"Two are located on the first floor in the back of the building, two more towards the front, and the rest are moving up and down the stairs," Scott replied.
"How do you want to handle this?" Virgil asked Jeff.
"With just the four of us and Alan and John potentially at risk, I say we do it quick and quiet," Jeff replied. "We'll split into teams. Scott, you and Gordon take the front and take care of anybody you find. Virgil and I will take the back door. Whoever finds them first, get them out and call the other team. We'll have the cops handle the rest of them. Got it?"
"FAB," the boys replied.
John watched Alan pace restlessly back and forth in front of him, a slight smile on his face. Despite the severity of the situation, he had to laugh. Alan was never very good at being cooped up, and watching him now was almost like watching a wild animal in a cage at the zoo. John was trying to calculate how much longer it would take before Alan went completely insane when his brother turned and caught John's smirk.
"What?" he demanded.
"What?" John echoed.
Alan scowled at him. "You're laughing. What's so funny?"
"I'm not laughing," John pointed out.
"You are too!" Alan argued. "We're stuck in here, waiting for Josh to steal all of Dad's money, and you're smiling. What's so funny?"
John rolled his eyes. "You."
Alan paused, clearly surprised at the answer. He stared at John for a moment, then planted himself on a crate opposite him. Folding his arms, he said, "I didn't realize I was amusing you so much."
The warning bells were clanging in John's head. "Come on, Alan, would you rather I mope and pout and throw a tantrum? Like you?"
The minute he said it, John knew he had made a mistake. He desperately wished he could call his words back as the dark cloud passed over Alan's face, leaving behind a look of complete indifference.
"Alan, look, I didn't mean-," John tried.
Alan cut him off with a shrug. "Whatever. When you're right, you're right, you know?"
John straightened on his crate. "No, Alan, I'm wrong, and I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."
"Why?" Alan asked. "I am the wild one, right? I always throw tantrums when something goes my way. What's so different about now?"
John rubbed his face in frustration. "Alan-."
Alan wasn't finished. "You know, I always thought that when I finally became a Thunderbird, you guys would respect me. I thought that you would finally take me seriously, and not treat me like a little kid. But you know what this summer has taught me so far?"
"What?" John asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.
"It's taught me that no matter what I decide to do, you will never stop treating me like a baby," Alan shot back. "If training this summer is any indication of what's in store for me, then maybe I don't want to be a Thunderbird anymore."
John's jaw dropped in shock. "Alan, no, you don't mean that."
"Yeah, I do, John," Alan replied quietly. He looked down at his lap. "You don't know what it's like. I thought if I could just hang on, then it would be okay. I thought that maybe you believed enough in me, and that that would be enough for me to make it through this summer. But you're just like them. You, and Scott, and Dad and Gordon and Virgil . . . none of you think I can do this. You don't think I'm cut out to be a Thunderbird. Maybe . . . . maybe you're right."
John stood and moved over to where Alan was sitting. He gripped Alan's arms tightly and forced his brother to meet his eyes. "Alan, you're wrong. Yes, I know we give you a hard time because you're the youngest, and you do have to admit that you can act very much like a little kid from time to time."
John watched the play of emotions in Alan's eyes, and became encouraged when he saw hope emerge.
"You need to understand something, though, Alan," John pressed on. "Yes, you're the youngest, and because of that we all feel very protective of you." At Alan's eye roll, he said, "Yes, even Gordon, too. We just don't want you to get hurt. Every single one of us had to go through something similar when we first joined International Rescue. God, when Gordon became old enough . . . you don't know this, but Scott raised all sorts of arguments against him joining. He felt Gordon was too immature, and that he would put the entire organization at risk."
Alan allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "Yeah, I could see that happening."
John returned the grin. "You see? But now, Scott will tell you what an asset to the team Gordon is. And he'll do the same for you. You just have to keep trying, and show them, show us, what you're capable of."
Alan nodded, eyes downcast. John released Alan's arms and draped an arm around Alan's shoulders.
"What do you say?" John asked gently. "Stick with it?"
Alan was stopped from answering by the sound of the door to their cell unlocking. Both brothers jumped to their feet, prepared for whatever awaited them on the other side.
Virgil followed his father around the back of the dilapidated three-story house, casting a wary glance around for anyone who might spot them. Several people wandered the streets even at this late hour, though Virgil doubted their reasons were legal. Fortunately for them, no one seemed to notice the Tracys, and if they did, they didn't pay the newcomers any mind.
Jeff crept around the overgrown foliage, careful not to make a sound. His senses were on alert, his mind completely focused on his surroundings. Virgil did his best to match his father step for step, stopping only when he did outside the back door.
"Ready?" Jeff whispered to his son.
Virgil nodded.
Turning back to the door, Jeff hunched down over the knob. Within seconds, the door was unlocked and Jeff was pushing it open. Shaking his head in awe, Virgil stepped into the silent house after his father.
The noise of a television drifted down the stairs, not quite loud enough to mask the sound of voices conversing. Virgil couldn't make out the conversation, but he was able to discern three distinct voices engaged in a heated discussion. He locked the information away in his mind and turned his attention to the doors that lined the hallway.
Jeff beckoned Virgil past the first few doors. Virgil looked at the doors, wanting to check, but obeyed his father. The two slipped silently down the hall and turned a corner, coming across an empty kitchen. Passing through it, they crossed through what used to be a den, then entered another corridor. At the end of this hall, they found a door locked with a padlock.
Virgil felt a flutter of excitement in his gut, and saw his eagerness reflected in his father's eyes. While Jeff worked on the padlock, Virgil turned and kept watch for any sign of his brothers' captors.
Jeff unlocked the padlock and impatiently pulled it away from the door, dropping it to the ground. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and looked around.
"Dad!"
Jeff suddenly found his arms filled with a relieved teenager. He returned Alan's hug fiercely and looked over his youngest to see John walking calmly up to him. "Hey, Dad. What kept you guys?"
Jeff smiled wryly. "I think discussions can wait for later. Let's get you two out of here."
"Amen to that." John passed Jeff and welcomed a brief hug from Virgil.
Jeff gently pushed Alan out into the hall, then shut the door and put the padlock back in place. At Alan's confused look, he explained, "To give us a few more minutes. Come on, let's go."
Jeff took the lead, followed by Alan. Virgil and John took the rear, looking around for any threats. As they moved, Virgil held his watch to his mouth.
"Scott, Gordon," he whispered. "We got 'em. Meet you back at the gas station."
"FAB," came Scott's hushed voice.
Jeff had just entered the kitchen when a gunshot echoed in the house, sending all four Tracys to the floor. Jeff tried to get his sons into the hallway and out of the line of fire, but a second gunshot sent pieces of plaster raining down on them from the wall.
Josh stood behind them, his gun still smoking as it trained on them. "Going somewhere?"