Chapter One- Lost and Lost
By the time Thunderbird Three docked at Thunderbird Five, John was frantic. "I've tried to contact them loads but there's no reply!"
Normally his brothers would have told him to calm down, but only Virgil was there so that there would be room in Thunderbird Three for the possibly wounded family on the base. Also, there was a tsunami about to hit South America so Gordon and Scott were sorting that out and of course Jeff was too old now for space travel.
"Come on John, keep your head. We're taking Thunderbird Three to the base." John nodded and followed back to where the ship was docked.
It took around an hour to reach the base. After docking, the brothers stepped through to the entrance bay. With a shock, they realised that the docking area was the only area that was not damaged.
Chairs were strewn over the metal floor- a few plates of which had been torn up. The door into the base was shattered and the frame had half been torn down.
The base centre was worse. Here there were bodies. The main government overseer of the project lay sprawled over some turned-over chairs. The receptionist's head lay amongst the remains of her office. Stopping just long enough to check that Alan, Tin Tin and the babies were not there- the brothers hurried along to the Tracey's quarters.
They raced through the living area, stepped round the body of the cleaner and through to the sleeping quarters.
"Noooooo" moaned John. Virgil was too shocked to say anything. Because what they were seeing was and had been their worst nightmare since their mother died.
Alan- barely recognisable beneath the blood covering his face- was slumped against the wall, his neck obviously broken. Tin Tin's blood stained the double bed that she was lying on. But something was missing…
"The babies!" yelled Virgil suddenly "Where are the twins?" because the now-orphaned twins were nowhere in sight.
After looking through every inch of the base to find them, the brothers resorted to the CCTV system. Mercifully- whatever had attacked had left that room alone. John pressed a few buttons and an image came up on screen.
Tin Tin and Alan were about to get into bed. The babies lay in their cots. Suddenly, the adults looked to the door- which was hurled in. The brothers watched in horror as their brother and sister-in-law's deaths were played out before them. But then a man entered the room. A man they knew all too well.
'How did the Hood get to the base?' rang through the Tracey's minds. They continued to watch as Mullion entered, picked up the girls and the group left the room.
"So that's why the twins weren't there" John mused softly. Tears were rolling down Virgil's cheek and his brother attempted to comfort him- though he was fighting a losing battle against his own emotions.
"L…let's go." Said Virgil after a while. John nodded and the two of them headed back to Thunderbird Three.