Chapter One

Massachusetts, United States of America

Alan Tracy smiled as he stepped out of the cinema having just spent an hour and a half watching a film that he had been wanting to see for ages. He was enjoying a rare day off from school and he'd taken advantage of it and gone to the cinema. Fermat of course hadn't wanted to come preferring to go to a seminar being held in the town hall about the future of computer technology. Finals were due to start next week and he was enjoying a day or two off before they started. All his revision was done and no one not his teachers, Fermat or his father had had to prompt him to do the revision.

Ever since he'd returned from spring break three years ago he'd thrown himself into his schoolwork. Some of his dreams to become a thunderbird like his father and brothers had come true that spring break when he along with Tin-Tin and Fermat had faced down the Hood. But during that break he had learned something, something that he hadn't realised before. That there was more to being a part of International Rescue than cool adventures, that it was about dedication and commitment as much as courage and bravery. He'd carried that over into his schoolwork and the results had surprised everyone. Once these finals were done he would be able to leave school behind and be a thunderbird full time and do college courses from home over the Internet just like Gordon had.

Smiling Alan walked away from the cinema heading towards the centre of town. He had promised to meet up with Fermat before they returned to Wharton Academy.

He had been walking for a short while enjoying the brisk exercise when he felt a tingle at the back of his neck as though he was being followed. Alan paused and looked around and saw no one. Alan frowned wondering what was causing him to feel like he was being followed. He had strange feelings like this about various things from time to time in his life. He didn't know what caused it and it didn't always happen, but when it did there was usually a reason.

After a moment he sighed and resumed walking though the feeling remained there, an insubstantial feeling at the back of his mind. Try as he might he couldn't ignore it. He stopped again and looked around carefully and again saw no one. You're imagining things Alan, he told himself as he started walking again.

He had only gotten about five meters when strong arms abruptly grabbed him from behind. Alan struggled in the grip of whoever was holding him, in the last three years he'd gained a lot more height, weight and strength. And he tried to employ all of his built up strength to break free of his captor's grip. But the angle was too awkward and whoever was holding him was still a little stronger than him.

A handkerchief smelling of chloroform was thrust over his nose and mouth. Alan tried not to breathe in but it was too late. A giddy sensation rushed through his head before darkness enveloped him and he slumped unconscious.

Alan's attacker a tall well built man in dark clothing smiled and shifted Alan's unconscious form into a fireman's carry before casually dumping his chloroform soaked hanky into the nearby rubbish pin before walking back with Alan to an alleyway where he had a black van waiting.

Opening a side door the man threw Alan's unconscious form into the van then he quickly stripped the young Tracy of the expensive looking mobile phone in his pocket, and the watch/wristcom that he had been warned about. He smashed the wristcom so none of the controls would work then dropped it in a pile of rubbish, he dropped the mobile in the same pile beside it.

Then he climbed in and carefully tied Alan up binding his hands behind his back with zip cuffs, before tying his legs together with some nylon robe. Lastly he carefully gagged Alan so the teenager wouldn't give him an earful if he happened to wake up before they reached their destination. After a moment the man looked at his work satisfied that Alan had no chance of escaping and he looked his captive over. Tall, blond haired and surprisingly muscular for a seventeen-year-old how he would like to have some fun with him. After a moment the man sighed he didn't have time he had a schedule to meet.

Climbing out the back the man closed the side door and went forward to the front and climbed in before starting the engine and carefully driving away.

Outside The Town Hall

A Short Time Later

Fermat Hackenbacker checked his watch and frowned. Where was Alan? The seminar he had been attending had been fascinating but had ended nearly twelve minutes ago and he knew the movie Alan had gone to see would have ended almost thirty minutes before. Alan should have been here long before now. Yet there was no sign of him.

Fermat was frankly puzzled wondering where Alan was. Alan would have contacted him if he were going to be late for some reason. Yes Fermat had had to turn his mobile off when he was in the seminar – they frowned at mobiles going off mid-presentation – but he knew that Alan would have left a message on his voicemail if he was going to be late. Fishing his mobile out of his pocket he called Alan's number.

"The mobile phone you have called maybe switched off. Please try your call again later," an automated voice said. Fermat frowned. That was odd. Though it was possible that Alan had forgotten to turn his mobile back on after leaving the cinema. Turning off the signal he walked a few steps away from the town hall and ducked into a nearby ally. There was another way he could get in touch with Alan.

Fermat looked around carefully making sure that no one was around before raising his wristcom and sending a hailing signal to Alan's wristcom. There was no response. Mental alarm bells beginning to ring Fermat tried again, with the same result. Alan was not responding to his wristcom.

"Alan w…w…where are y…y…you," Fermat said softly as he manipulated his wristcom's controls to activate the tracking beacon in Alan's wristcom. All International Rescue wristcom's had built in tracking beacons that enable that particular wristcom and the person wearing it to be tracked down either from one of the Thunderbirds or from someone wearing another wristcom.

Fermat frowned when the display showed Alan's wristcom was stationary in one location and that transmission was extremely faint as if the wristcom was damaged. Becoming very concerned Fermat pulled up the exact location of Alan's wristcom. It was about two miles to the north of him just off the main street. And it was still not moving.

Mental alarm bells now ringing at full volume Fermat began to fear the worst. That something bad had happened to Alan.

Leaving the ally Fermat started walking up the main street towards Alan's apparent location. It shouldn't take him long to get to Alan's location and maybe then find out what was going on.

Elsewhere

The man pulled the van to a stop on a disused airforce base just outside town. A small jet was sat on the runway patiently waiting for him and his 'passenger'. Smiling the man climbed out the front doors of the van then opened the side door to see that Alan Tracy was starting to show signs of waking up. The man frowned. That could not be allowed he had been given strict orders that Alan was not to wake up until after he had reached his final destination.

Climbing into the back he removed a small syringe filled with a preprepared sleeping agent from a box. Then carefully he injected it into Alan's arm with the result that Alan went immediately back into dreamland.

Then the man climbed back out of the van and hauled Alan out of the van and again put him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He carried Alan over to the jet and gently climbed aboard.

"Excellent you have him," a cold voice said from the front compartment. "Put him in one of the seats and buckle him in then return to your hideout. Your payment will be waiting for you there."

"Yes sir," the man replied knowing better than to argue. The man did as he was told and carefully buckled Alan's unconscious form into one of the seats before leaving the plane. The hatch sealed behind him and the boarding ramp retracted as soon as he was down.

The man returned to his van and drove away from the disused airforce base as the jet taxied along one of the slowly disintegrating runways before taking off and heading away on a course that would take it out of US airspace.

Back In Town

Twenty Minutes Later

Fermat followed the signal from the homing beacon in Alan's wristcom periodically checking his own wristcom to make sure he was still going in the right direction. Until he came to a stop outside a shop that was currently closed for renovation. The signal was coming from somewhere around here.

Fermat turned his full attention on his wristcom and consulted the display. The signal was coming from a location three meters ahead and five meters to the right. Moving quickly Fermat moved forward three meters and looked to the right and frowned when he saw that it lead into a dark alleyway. Taking a few deep breaths to contain the rising feeling of fear that he could find Alan lying unconscious in the alleyway Fermat walked into the ally.

As soon as he advanced five meters in he looked around but there was no sign of Alan Tracy. Alan where are you, Fermat thought now very worried about his best friend. He knew something had happened to Alan, something very bad.

"Alan," he called his friend's name but no one answered. He walked down the ally to where it ended at the side door to the building that was currently being renovated. Nothing there was no sign of Alan at all.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to keep calm Fermat looked around again then the glint of sunlight off a reflective surface caught his attention. Fermat squatted down and sifted through a pile of rubbish until he found it and his breath caught in his throat. There in the rubbish was Alan's mobile phone broken by the impact with the ground and Alan's smashed and only barely functioning watch/wristcom.

For a second Fermat stared at the watch/wristcom and mobile is shock and horror his mind not wanting to accept the evidence that he saw before him. But eventually the horrible truth really dawned on him. Alan had been kidnapped.

Fermat leaped to his feat his heart thudding in his chest. He had to alert someone. He had to alert the authorities. He raced out the alleyway and looked around and then flagged down a passing police cruiser.

One of the officers inside rolled down a window and looked concerned at the teenager with big blue glasses who had flagged them down. The officer smiled sweetly at Fermat.

"Well hello there young man," she said softly. "What is it? What is the matter?"

"P…p…please h…h…help," Fermat answered stuttering heavily in his emotional distress. "My f…f…friend h…h…has b…b…been k…k…kidnapped."

A Few Hours Later

Alan Tracy regained consciousness to a throbbing headache and almost total darkness. He was lying on a bed whose mattress was more springs than anything else. Alan sat up groaning and clutching his head.

Struggling to see in the darkness and through the headache he looked around to see where he was. He was in a stone room about three meters per side. The walls were all solid cut stone blocks aside from the wall directly opposite him which had the thick wooden door in it. Light came from a single purple tinged light stick in the corner that filled the room with an pale eerie glow that was almost impossible to see by.

Alan frowned wondering where in the world he was. The last thing he remembered was being grabbed from behind and a hanky smelling of chloroform being shoved over his nose and mouth. He felt his pockets to find that he still had his wallet though his mobile was gone and a check of his right wrist showed his watch/wristcom was gone as well. Great, he thought, just great. Wonder where I am?

Awkwardly Alan swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. Tried being the operative word, his legs felt like they were made of jelly and he sat back down again before he could fall flat on his face.

The sound of footsteps in the corridor caught his attention and Alan looked at the door just as the sound of multiple locks being pulled back. It appeared that his captors whoever they were, were about to show their faces.

The door opened and Alan blinked in the bright light that suddenly flooded the cell he was in. So much light that he couldn't briefly see the face of his captor. But the voice was familiar and sent a chill down his spine.

"Hello Alan," the Hood said. "Nice to see you again."