Chapter Four

John and Alan had been looking in every corner and crevice, searching for something, anything that might indicate a possible escape route, to no avail. John's throbbing shoulder was getting hard to ignore and they both were beginning to sink into despair. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as another wave of pain immobilized him. Alan grimaced at the sight and went to assist his brother, concern evident in his eyes.

"You want a little help with that?"

John eyed him for brief moment, let out a long breath and straightened up. "Yeah, Al, sure."

Alan took John's arm in both his hands and waited until he caught his older brother's eye. John nodded to him and then rattled the rafters with his cries as Alan snapped the disjointed limb back into place. When it was over, he collapsed against the wall, breathless.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks, little brother."

"Don't mention it."

They were just deciding what their next plan of action should be when they heard what sounded like a moan of pain. They both turned to see Scott writhing on the floor, obviously in a great deal of distress.

"D-don't! What...STOP!"

They both went to his side and tried to snap him out of his delusion.

"Scott! Scott can you hear us?" John's voice was soft and soothing. "It's us, Scott, John and Alan."

He reached out to grab fistfuls of John's shirt; nearly strangling him in the process but he didn't pull away. Alan felt a pang of empathy, remembering how he'd felt after just one dose of the vile stuff. He let his big brother know he was also there for him.

"It's okay, Scott. You're safe with us now." He'd hated telling the lie, but if it would bring him back to them... He watched as his eyelids slowly flickered open.

Even though he hadn't fully navigated his way up through the drug-induced haze, Scott somehow knew, as he slowly opened his eyes and regarded them both with a look of unfathomable sadness, that the worst possible scenario had become a reality. They had gotten to his brothers too. He let go of John's shirt and the flush in the middle brother's face lessened. As he sank back onto the cushion, he covered his eyes with his forearm.

"Are you two okay? What the hell is going on?"

They simultaneously expelled the breath they had been holding. For Scott, they were the right questions.

"Well, we don't have the details, but it seems we've been kidnapped, Bro."

He removed his arm so he could look at John. "Kid...what? Oh great, so much for a well-earned rest."

Alan was a bit perplexed. "Is that all you can say about it?"

"Kiddo, the way my head feels right now, there's not too much else I can say. Have you seen these guys?"

"No, but John has."

"Okay, that's strike one. They are obviously not planning on letting us go if they've let John see them. How many of them are there, John?"

"Well, there are two who seem to be in charge of the proceedings, and about another fifteen to twenty of their lackeys."

Scott sighed resignedly.

"Oh and there's another fly in the ointment, Big Brother..." He paused.

Scott prodded him. "Yeah?"

"We're underground..."

'Big Brother' was becoming irritated and put his fingers to his temple to stave off another stab of pain.

"And?"

"And, our subcutaneous locator chips won't transmit from this depth."

Scott and Alan stared at him briefly and then all three brothers wiped their hands over their faces in unison.

>>>>>+>>>>>+

Jeff looked at his watch and started to make another call down to the hangar when he suddenly saw Virgil, Brains and Gordon pop into the lounge.

"Th-the check is complete, M-M-Mister, uh, Tracy."

"Dad, can you tell us what's going on?"

"Boys, I think you'd better sit down for this one."

Their faces grew grim as Jeff shared the information on the recording. Virgil had his head down with his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, while Gordon just looked pale and in shock. Brains glanced from one to the other and cleared his throat before attempting to speak.

"S-so, ah, we will need to wait for the k-kidnappers to, er, contact us before w-we make a move."

"No, Brains, I plan on having Thunderbird Two in position long before that occurs. I don't believe that they've taken the boys out of Australia. There are too many remote places for them to hide out on the continent. They wouldn't need to go anywhere else."

Virgil had been silent but now brought his head up to speak. His voice was almost a whisper.

"When do we leave, Father?"

Just then, the main company line to the island beeped again and Jeff answered it. "Yes, Rosemary. I'd like you to forward all calls that come in to the Vid-Sat. That way, when the kid...," he couldn't bring himself to speak the word, "when that call comes through, it will go directly to me, wherever I am."

"Yes, sir. Are you all right, Jeff?"

"I will be, honey...I will be." He thanked her as he ended the call.

"Okay, boys. I've cancelled my entire schedule for the next week. I'm going with you. Brains, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you here to man the fort."

"I-I understand s-sir. I'll d-do whatever I c-can to help."

"Bless you, Brains. Boys, I haven't given your grandmother all the details but if I know her, she won't let me leave here without filling her in."

"I should say so!" Ruth Tracy walked into the lounge and immediately made a bee line for her son's desk. "Except that I've already figured this one out."

"You what?"

"Don't get testy with me, Jefferson Tracy." Her expression softened. "Actually, I tricked your secretary into spilling the beans, so don't blame her. Go find them, Darling and bring them back to us. I'll be right there with you." She kissed him tenderly on the cheek and he made for the passenger lift as his grief was threatening to overwhelm him again. Virgil took the cue as he made for the rocket painting.

"C'mon, Gordo, let's do it."

Gordon shook himself out of his dark reverie and ran after his father.

>>>>>+>>>>>+

The three Tracy men were now all on their feet and literally taking their claustrophobic prison apart piece by piece in the hopes that they could get themselves free. Their mounting frustration about being totally cut off from the rest of the world was exceeded only by the anger they felt towards their captors. Their wrist comms. had been confiscated, along with all of their other personal effects. They were totally on their own with no help in sight.

Their activity was interrupted when they heard a creaking sound accompanied by footsteps. Alan looked towards the sound, incredulous.

"How could anyone be walking down here if we're underground?"

"They could have dug some sort of access tunnel," Scott suggested.

Then it was as if three light bulbs had all come on at the same time, the first glimmer of hope that they'd had since being abducted. If someone could get down to them through a tunnel, it could also be used for them to escape up through. It made sense because that would also explain how they were getting any air down in that cramped space. John put his index finger to his lips until he saw that the other two understood. Mentally, Scott was taking stock of the situation from a strategic standpoint. They had no weapons, not even a pen knife or the sharp edge of a credit card. The odds were terrible, but still, they had to try. He braced himself as he heard the creaking sound of an outer door opening.

They waited until the inner door had opened wide enough for them to get through and then pulled the person entering the room, inside. It turned out there were five men in the corridor, two of whom were well armed. The brothers rushed the three that were within reach, hoping the element of surprise was on their side. It very nearly worked, except for the fact that one of the men still waiting by the outer door had heard the commotion and went in to investigate. He arrived just in time to see the third of the three men, felled by a sucker punch, hit the floor. The sound of his gun being cocked caused the three captives to freeze in their places, just as Scott was about to deliver another punch for good measure.

The man with the gun seemed steady and sure. There was no way they could take him without one of them getting shot. They had no choice. Scott motioned for the others to stand down. Their faces fell, but Scott's silently relayed to them that it had been a good try.

Then, they heard another set of heavy footsteps and turned to see the fifth man, who looked to be in a position of authority, enter the room. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds, lighting a cigar before he spoke and blowing the smoke into their faces.

"Gentlemen, it appears that we have a problem. Apparently you missed the communication regarding discipline. As long as you are 'guests' here, you will do as you are told and not treat my staff rudely. Is that understood?" His mannerisms appeared to be on an even keel but one look into his cold eyes told them that he indeed meant business. It was the "business" that they were now dreading. He eyed Scott.

"So, you are the eldest. You know that it is the responsibility of the eldest to set an example for the rest of his siblings and to keep them in line, correct?" Scott remained silent, trying not to give anything in his eyes away. The man continued with the "lesson."

"So, if any of them have stepped out of line, the responsibility for his actions would fall upon you, isn't that right?" Scott remained stone-faced, his expression blank. Their captor continued with his monologue.

"Therefore, I will let you decide. Would you take the punishment for what your two brothers have done here today?"

The dark-haired Tracy finally spoke. "They've done only what I've told them to, it was all my idea."

"I have my doubts as to the truthfulness of that statement but, on this occasion, I shall afford you the benefit of that doubt."

Inwardly, Scott sighed with relief. At least they wouldn't be punishing his brothers for the attempted escape.

"You will now receive your sentence. There is only one penalty for insubordination such as this." The man with the gun lifted it and pointed it straight at Scott's temple, cocking the trigger. His intended victim stood, unflinching, his eyes staring straight into those of his executioner. A sudden wave of regret over the fact that he'd be leaving his brothers at the mercy of their subjugator washed over him.

"No!" The directive came from the youngest Tracy. "Leave him alone! You haven't even told us what you want with us."

"Oh, that will come in due time my young friend. Unfortunately, your big brother here will not have had the pleasure."

John's fists clenched as he tensed himself to spring. The man apparently in charge continued.

"Given what I know about you though, Scott Tracy, I think I can come up with something that will injure you far worse."

Before Scott could even formulate a guess, the aim of the weapon was redirected and John screamed as a shot was fired directly into his femoral artery. The elder Tracy was horrified.

"N-o-o-o! God...JOHN !"

'The Boss' only laughed as he took another puff of his cigar. All three of the brothers would be hard-pressed to forget that laugh.

Alan and Scott both rushed to John's side as the blood literally spurted from his wound. Alan applied pressure to it with both his hands while Scott tore the sleeve off his shirt to make a tourniquet. Beads of sweat broke out on John's forehead, his face screwing up into a grimace of agony. His breath came in short gasps as he tried to keep from crying out.

"It's okay, John. We'll fix you up, don't worry." Alan was trying to calm him but his own insides were coming apart. Their brother's blood was everywhere, covering them both from head to toe.

Scott applied the tourniquet and was then looking for something with which to tighten it. He happened to look down at the rest of the shirt he was wearing. Earlier, he'd forgotten to take a pen out of his breast pocket and it had apparently been broken during the abduction. This was evidenced by the stain of indigo that had formed below it. He reached inside, hoping that it had not been confiscated. Yes! It was still there. He pulled it out and tied a knot around it with the leading ends of the torn piece of shirt. He twisted it until the flow of blood from the leg had slowed and then eventually stopped. Hanging his head in a combination of relief and exhaustion, he managed to lift it long enough to send Alan a wink and a weak smile. Alan returned the smile ever so slightly and nodded his relief. When they both looked down at John again, he had fallen unconscious, which was probably a good thing, given the pain he'd been enduring. Scott put two fingers to his neck to check his carotid pulse and then checked his breathing. They were both slow, but steady, at least for now. Looking around, he reached for the cushion he had used and gingerly placed it under John's head. He sat, stroking his face and tenderly brushing the damp hair off his forehead.

"Aw, now isn't that admirable?" 'The Boss' addressed his associate. "See how they care for each other? The bond of blood is always the strongest. It is of no consequence, however. Their father will be as willing to pay for the return of two sons. The death of one should make clear to him our resolve in achieving our objective."

Scott watched as a change came over the man next to him. His youngest brother's face went from being panic stricken at the prospect of losing either of his siblings, to being unnaturally calm and neutral, given their situation. Scott knew that look and now he was the one beginning to panic. He whispered fiercely through firmly clenched teeth.

"Al, no!" he begged. "Please..."

But Alan was already on his feet. Scott made a grab for him just as he lunged at their tormentors but he was too late. It was only thin air that slipped through his fingers. He gasped as the 'The Boss,' who was not a man of small stature, grabbed Alan by the hair, yanked him roughly onto his back on the floor and put the edge of an antique Ka-Bar knife to his throat. He recognized it as being the type once used in the military for the sole purpose of killing a man. The youngest Tracy did not dare to move another muscle.

At that moment, time froze for the eldest Tracy. He closed his eyes briefly and held his breath, fighting to get his emotions under control. God, would this nightmare never end? Finally, he gathered the strength he needed and opened cobalt blue eyes that were ablaze, his face reflecting a steely determination. When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous.

"Take your hands off him."

The two men still standing glanced at each other and regarded their hostage curiously. He repeated the order, putting a hand on his knee to raise himself up off the floor to his full height.

"I said...take your hands off him."

Alan's eyes went wide with fear, not for his own life, but for the life of the brother who had always been his protector. There was a barely perceptible movement of his head as he tried to get the message through to his eldest sibling. Scott...don't!

"I can see you are once again confused about the proper decorum, young Scott. You do not give the orders here. Scott lifted his eyes and directed his gaze pointedly at the man he had come to abhor. As his 'host' looked into them, what he saw there made him nearly recoil with trepidation. He released Alan and nodded to his henchman, who then lowered his gun.

"Very well, I have done so. But as with all of my services, there is a price to be paid. Now, what have you to offer me?"