Hi everyone! Happy Holidays! My beta reader and I have somehow survived finals(choking) and somehow found the time to ready another chapter for you all. Wonders never cease. We are leaving and going to our homes for Christmas break, but we are already making plans for future chapters that hopefully will soon follow this one. Sorry it is taking such a long time between updates. Hope you all enjoy this and Merry Christmas!

Miss Elizabeth Blakeney and Katya

Chapter 5: Crushed Hopes and Despair

John jumped up from his chair so fast that it was sent skittering across the room. Gordon had been informing him of Scott's disappearance when a loud beep echoed through the space station. John ran over to a small control panel. This was the tracking station for the watches worn by all the members of International Rescue. John frantically pushed two buttons, then let out a shout of thankfulness. Scott's signal was coming in clearly. John let out a quick prayer of thanks that his brother had been able to turn the tracking signal on. Running back over to the main control board, he hailed his younger brother.

"Gordon, I have Scott's watch signal on the tracking screen. It's at position S290-4r5."

"F.A.B. John! Thank God! Virgil is really starting to scare me."

"Well, he is the closest to Scott." Gordon nodded. As he signed off, Gordon glanced over at his older brother. He was hoping with all his might that they would find Scott soon. He did not want to see his brother have a nervous breakdown.

"Virg. John got Scott's tracking signal and gave me its current coordinates. The three of us can go in Thunderbird 1; it'll be faster. You will need to lock down Thunderbird 2; I'm sure the mayor won't begrudge a few of the police officers watching it for a bit longer." Virgil nodded then suddenly threw his arms around his brother. Gordon was deeply shocked.

"Thanks, Gordo. I guess…I must be acting like an idiot. It's just…" Gordon just shook his head.

"Don't apologize." Virgil gave him a warm smile, then hurried to lock down his bird and inform the mayor of the extended need of his officers. Within minutes the sleek jet had risen and was shooting off towards the small electronic signal that represented hope to these young men.

John looked at the button and sighed. He had been putting this particular action off as long as he could, but it could no longer be helped. Their father had to know that one of his sons was missing. He had not been contacted since John had accidentally let him hear the interchange between Gordon and Virgil. He had assured Dad that he was ok right before Alan's shout sent their attention scurrying to Scott. Now it was time. He hated this. He hated it more then anything, but within a few minutes Thunderbird 1 would be at Scott's signal; so there was nothing to worry about, right? John wished he could convince himself of this. Something told him this was far from over.

"Thunderbird 5 to Base"

"Go ahead John."

"Father…ummm" Jeff knew instantly that something was wrong. His middle son, though quiet, had the ability to tell quickly and concisely the facts. When John paused or was at a loss for words, Jeff knew he was about to hear something he did not want to.

"What is it John? Just tell me." John swallowed. Dad was trying to help him, but it was useless. Nothing could make this easy.

"Dad, we fear that Scott's been…taken. Ummmm…we have a recording that sounds like he was struggling, then there is silence. Virgil, Gordon, and Alan ran to Mobile Control, but he was gone. There is good news though. We are tracking his signal, and they should be there any minute now." Jeff couldn't move or speak. He couldn't even tell John off for not contacting him sooner.

"I'm…sorry Dad that I didn't contact you sooner, but we…hoped we would find him quickly. I'm sorry."

Jeff sighed then looked up.

"No, John. You don't need to apologize. You were right. You would have wasted time if you had contacted me before, time that Scott might need." Jeff fixed his middle son with steely eyes. "Keep me informed though."

"F.A.B. I'll leave the link open, Dad. Is that ok with you?" Jeff nodded. He looked down at his paper littered desk and let one lone tear caress his cheek. His son, his eldest son. God, may he be safe. A slight noise caused his head to snap up. There stood Brains, the scientist who had become a good friend since the beginning of International Rescue.

"M-Mr. Tracy, w-what is i-it?" Jeff got up from his desk; his head slumped to his chest. Still not answering, he walked over to the opposite wall. The wall that was one huge picture and yet more then that. It was a picture of himself and the five people he loved most in the entire world. His sons. There they were, wearing jeans and tees, standing proud and strong.

"M-M-Mr. Tracy?" Jeff turned to the young genius. Brains had been with them since International Rescue's infancy. Without his phenomenal mind, IR would have quite literally never gotten off the ground.

"Brains, John just contacted me. Scott…well…Scott's missing. It looks like he might have been kidnapped. John is tracking the signal from his watch." Brains gave an audible sigh of relief. "And the boys are heading towards it. I just…hate feeling helpless."

"I-I know M-Mr. Tr-racy. But your b-b-sons know what t-t-to do." Jeff walked over to the young scientist and placed one hand on his thin shoulder.

"You're right Brains. As always."

Virgil landed the sleek jet as close to origin of the signal as he could. When the three Tracy brothers had disembarked, Virgil set Thunderbird 1 in lockdown mode. No one would be able to get in except him or Jeff. Gordon turned on his personal survivor tracker or PST and watched as the blue dot winked innocently.

"I've got him, Virg."

"Good. Let's go. And keep an eye out. The person or persons who took him could still be around." Alan fell into step between his older brothers. He hoped they would be able to find Scott aliv…well. He winced slightly when he thought that and Gordon noticed.

"You ok?" he whispered. Alan nodded. Right now, they needed to concentrate on Scott. He would be fine when they found him, not before.

Jin-non pressed his body closer to the tree. He silently cursed the foul machine that would not start. Though his master had seen to it that all the men knew how to drive a car, he had not seen fit to teach them what to do if something went wrong. The car had innocently run out of gas, but to Jin-non it appeared that the machine had ceased to function. He sighed. It would be a long walk to the airport, and he did not know the language well enough to ask directions. Suddenly, he heard a slight crunch near him. Here they are, he thought. He would have to wait until International Rescue was gone before setting out. He only hoped they would not find him.

Alan noticed the dot was very near to them.

"It looks like it's just up ahead." As he said this, he ran forward, ignoring the frantic cries from his two brothers. Unexpectedly, he came to an abrupt stop. He looked stupidly down at his boots that were now half submerged in the mud by a huge lake!

Virgil came up behind him, trying desperately to blink away the tears that were running down his cheeks. Gordon checked his tracker, and then checked it again. There was no mistake. The signal was coming from just a few feet from them, under the water. Without a thought, Gordon started stripping his uniform off. Virgil started to do the same. As he did so, he turned to Alan.

"You stay here and keep a lookout. We'll try to be as quick as we can." Alan nodded. No one wanted to say what was foremost on their minds; was Scott down there…dead?

Quickly and effortlessly, both Tracy boys waded in and swam out a ways. Gordon turned back to Alan.

Knowing what his brothers wanted, he called out, "Just a couple feet further, that's right. Now, about five strokes to your right. There! Your right over it." Both Virgil and Gordon disappeared from sight.

Jin-non saw everything from his hiding place. International Rescue had found the watch, almost with no effort at all. He had failed. Surely, with all their equipment, they would soon spot him too. But, not if he could help it. He slid unobtrusively from his hiding spot and silently slinked over to the young man, the one his master hated the most, standing by the lake. He would take at least one of them out before running. Then his master would be proud. He would kill the hated one. If he had stopped to think, he would have realized that it was the last thing his master wanted done.

Gordon pulled effortlessly away from his older brother. This was his element. He might not be able to compete with his older brothers in some areas, but they did not have a prayer when it came to swimming. He scanned the bottom of the lake. Soon he would have to go up for air. If they could not find the watch…or Scott, then Virgil and himself would have to have Alan get the underwater gear from Thunderbird 2. Suddenly, a bright light blinded Gordon momentarily. Then he saw it: Scott's watch, two feet away. Lungs bursting, he made a grab for it and missed. A second grab was successful, and he quickly headed for the surface.

Alan saw the signal move slightly, and then up to the surface. One of his brothers must have found Scott's watch. In another part of his brain, Alan hoped that the watch was all they had found. Though it would make finding Scott almost impossible, the hope of him being alive was better then the alternative. First Virgil's then Gordon's heads broke the still surface of the water. Alan waved to them, and they began to swim towards him. Abruptly, Virgil stopped and began shouting at Alan. Alan couldn't understand what he was saying, but just then, a small snap behind him warned him of the presence of another human being a second before it knocked him down to the ground. Hands wrapped instantly around his throat, the youngest Tracy struggled and began to kick at the man who was on top of him. It was a futile effort. Just as white spots began appearing before his eyes, the man suddenly slumped forward. Standing over him were two sopping wet figures. Gordon reached out a hand, and helped Alan up. Meanwhile, Virgil was bending over the prone figure of the man who had attacked his brother. A groan emitted from the man's throat, and Virgil quickly rose, grabbing his laser pistol off the ground at the same time.

Jin-non shook his head. Whatever had hit him, it felt like it packed the same force as a semi. Glancing around without moving his head, Jin-non saw two pairs of off white clad legs. Then the world fell around him, and he felt himself being pulled up to a standing position. Two pairs of hands grasped his upper arms while the IR operative with the green piping lifted Jin-non's head, which was lolling around as if his neck had no strength left. The man spoke, but Jin-non could not understand what he said. Besides, he would not tell them anything. If his master found that he had told anything to the detestable International Rescue, Jin-non's life was less then worthless. Letting his arms hang limp, the fingers of his left hand fumbled with a small pocket on the side of his pants. Slowly and carefully, he pulled out its content: one cyanide pill.

Virgil sighed inwardly. They were not going to get anything from this unknown man. From his looks and the unknown language on the recording, Virgil would almost have bet he did not even understand English. With a flash of brilliance, he hailed John.

"Virgil to Thunderbird 5."

"Go ahead Virg."

"John, we found Scott's watch at the bottom of a lake." Hearing John's quick intake of breath, Virgil hurried on.

"We didn't find Scott, only his watch, with the tracking signal turned on. We also found, or rather Alan was attacked by a man. He looks Oriental, and I don't think he knows English. Could you try to talk to him, or at least get an idea of what language he does speak?"

"Sure, Virg. Turn your watch so I can see him. I'm turning the recording device on now." John began asking him the same question in many different languages.

"Who are you?" Each time the man showed no sign of comprehension. John was about to give up when the man stiffened, then threw off both Gordon and Alan's holds. Before any of them could react, he thrust a pill into his mouth and smiled.

"And so I deprive you, International Rescue, of my knowledge. You will never find your comrade until it is too late. Then you will wish he was dead. Live with that. My master, know what Jin-non has done for yo…" Horrified, the Tracys could only watch as the man stiffened unnaturally, and then slumped to the ground. Alan, since he was the closest, bent down and felt for a pulse. There was none. The unknown man was dead, and with him, any hope of finding Scott.

After several horrible minutes, Virgil stirred first.

"We have to get this body to the police, it's their job to discover all they can about this…suicide. Then…I'll call Dad." The younger Tracys exchanged glances. They knew that was going to be a hard conversation. Virgil unlocked Thunderbird 1 while Gordon and Alan carried the dead man up and into the ship. Within minutes, the IR members were giving their accounts of the death to the police. After pledging to send all their information to Thunderbird 5, the police and firemen quit the scene. While Gordon and Alan stored Mobile Control in Thunderbird 1, Virgil sat in his pilot chair in Thunderbird 2. Flipping the radio switch, he got John to patch him thorough to Base. Drawing a deep, fortifying breath, Virgil addressed his father.

"Father…"

"Virgil, how are all of you doing? Do you have news of Scott?" Virgil chocked on his words. He could not do this. He could not tell his father. Hanging his head, he spent several seconds studying his hands.

"Son?" He looked into his father's haunted eyes.

"I'm sorry, Father."