Hey everyone! Here is yet another chapter. Seems from the reviews I've been getting, people are enjoying the story so far. It just keeps writing…and writing…and writing. (I could go on all night. ; Katya and I are continuing to write and edit this and hope to put out several more chapters soon. (I'm not holding my breath. This summer's been interesting already…can't wait to see what comes next)

This is almost entirely a Scott and Lona chapter, so all of you who were all for the Virgil focus in the last chapter are going to be slightly disappointed. Though the story will revolve around Scott and Lona for awhile then Lona and the Tracys, the boys should all have their moments to shine. My biggest problem with the movie was that the older boys got next to no screen time. Each is special and each plays an important role, and that is one thing I am attempting to show during this story. (by the way, I happen to like Virgil too, he was always level-headed and seemed the most solid of the Tracy boys. And thanks to all the people who let me know what they thought of the "Virgil scene")

Sorry for this long intro but I wanted to address a couple of things. Let this go on record again, I own none of the Tracys or the THUNDERBIRDS. I only own Lona, as a produce of my deluded mind.

Please continue to let me know what you think. It helps boost my belief that this story should and will be written and DONE!

Miss Elizabeth and Katya

Chapter 15: A Long Ways to Go

Scott cautiously pushed against the obtrusion that blocked their way to freedom. Lona steadied the torch and made sure the beam was where he needed it to be. Both knew that if they could not get the obstacle out of their way soon, their chances of survival would be nil at best.

"Judging from my inability to move this thing, there has to be a switch or lever or something. Do you see anything?" Lona shook her head and then quickly signed her response.

I'll look around. Do you want this torch, or do you want me to get yours out? Scott whispered back.

"If you could. I'll start on the left side, and you start on the right." For several minutes, neither spoke nor thought of anything except how to escape from the hell they had been forced into. Fingers soon grew rough, then bled as the hands scrambled frantically across the rough stones. Finally, just as both of them were about to give up, Scott's smallest finger grazed over an obtrusion in the otherwise similarly shaped stone. Quickly, he pushed against it and grinned as their prison door creaked open. Lona turned and stood, staring. The sun…she had not seen the sun since…for many years. The golden liquid shimmered around her: highlighting her hair, accenting her pale complexion, and making her blue eyes shine like diamonds. For a moment, Scott swore he saw a pool of water gather and fall down her face, and then he dismissed it. He had not seen Lona cry; she had not shed one tear since the first whipping he had seen. He had to give her that; she was very strong-emotionally as well as physically, despite her wounds. After waiting for a couple of minutes, he reluctantly placed his hand on her arm.

"It's time. We need to get as far from here as possible." She nodded and picking up her pack, slipped through the opening.

The crystal shattered against the far wall, and multi-colored pieces fell to the ground like snow. The normally unruffled, unphasable criminal mastermind was furious. His face and baldhead were as crimson as his robe and his eyes, those cruel eyes, seemed to be consumed by fire. All of his slaves and henchmen were kneeling in front of him, praying to whatever gods they had turned their backs on to save them from this dangerous man. In an instant his fire was replaced with cruel ice. His face smoothed to it normal, detached state, and his whole body seemed to uncurl. Calmly and deliberately seating himself on his throne, he surveyed the quaking masses of flesh in front of him. He would not give into anger; anger was for weaklings. A true genius, a true man could detach his emotions from any situation and act calmly and destructively.

"Well, whatever shall you make of this?" His words and mostly the flash of his mental powers cut deeper then any whiplash ever could; every man flinched as he spoke. Finally, Mullion came forward. Mullion was a huge man; he seemed to fill even the vast throne room. He had skin was as dark as night and a voice as deep as is humanly possible. He had been in the Hood's employment for many years. Mullion bowed to no one, but he was loyal and had served his leader well. The Hood was willing to accept this arrangement. Mullion was one of the few people he trusted completely, or at least as completely as he could.

"Sir, we have the man power and technology to track them. They are two people-wounded, weakened by lack of food, armed with little or nothing. Hell, one of them is just a girl-they have no chance against us. Let me lead a group, and have another lead a group. With two groups searching, we are bound to find them. When we do…" Mullion's eyes were two black holes without mercy or kindness. The mastermind steepled his fingers and nodded slightly.

"Very good my friend. We will try your plan. But, do not underestimate them. Both the girl and the Thunderbird operative. You will lead one group, as you are the most trustworthy of all my…employees. I shall lead the other." Every man in the room nervously glanced at his neighbor. If the master was going to take an active role, they had better find the escapees. Their lives depended on it.

Lona lead Scott into the rainforest for several minutes until they came to a river. They waded in the river for sometime; for, according to Lona, the Hood owned several dogs gifted in tracking. Finally, they left the river and walked deep into the forest. Quickly, Lona shimmied up a tree, then gestured for Scott to do likewise. When they had found reasonably comfortable spots, they both settled down to sleep. They had a long ways to go.

Lona awoke to find her world darkened by the arrival of night. As the nights were cold, she and Scott had huddled together for warmth. She cautiously and with as little movement as possible raised her head so that she could study the stars. She quickly found the Southern Cross and used it to find Octanis. She was so glad they could actually see the dim star because of the fierce jungle around them. Every cloud has a silver lining. The realist in her quickly came back when she discovered that they had been moving east. Silently, as usual, she cursed their bad luck. They needed to head west if they were going to reach the destination she had in mind. That meant they would have to pass right by the Hood's base. Not the brightest thing to do, but they had no other choice. She sighed internally. If the Hood did what she thought he would, then they would soon be tracked by the world's best hunter: a hunter of humans. She shivered uncontrollably. Unbidden, her mind flashback to one of the more…unique of the Hood's tortures for her.

She ran blindly through the forest, never stopping for breath or to check her bleeding feet. Vines, leaves, and brush slapped at her body as she dodged the multiple obstacles created by a rainforest. Finally, she could go no further. Leaning her back against a nearby tree, she sucked deep gulps of air; her vision growing alternately darker then lighter as oxygen-rich blood pounded through her brain.

A sudden noise made her hold her breath. There. The sound of a boot snapping twigs underfoot. The young woman felt her eyes grow wide and her body seize with fear. It couldn't be, not him. She began running again. No sense of direction, no knowledge of whether she was heading out of or into danger. She only knew she had to get far away from her pursuer.

That night she spent up a tree, the whole time listening for any sound that was out of place in the rainforest that seemed to go on forever. The next day, she continued. Her whole body ached with exhaustion and fatigue; the only thing keeping her legs moving and supporting her weight was what Americans called grit: true force of mind pressing the body to go on beyond its endurance. She knew he was getting closer; she could feel it, she just knew it. Still she kept running.

Two days later, she came to an opening in the forest. Making her body as small and unnoticeable as possible, she peered into a scene that was as close to heaven as she would get for many years…a village. The people went about their daily lives, unaware that a young, hurting girl was avidly watching all of their goings on. She stayed in the same position all day, watching, waiting, and hoping. For she had seen something that was worth all the gold in the world: a radio antenna.

The stars were shining on the small village that had not seen technology since the old wave radios. However, she didn't care. It would serve her purpose. If she could send out a call for help, then she could—blessed, extraordinary thought—finally be free of…of HIM! Warily, she moved towards the dilapidated shed that seemed to house the radio. Although she had heard nothing from her stalker for several hours, she could not relax. If it was who she thought it was, then you needed to worry most when you didn't hear him. That meant he was ready to pounce. When she reached the door, she carefully lifted the latch and crept inside. Carefully closing the door behind her, she began to walk towards her hope.

A sudden noise right behind her cause her turn around. Standing right behind her was…Mullion! She shook her head and let out a yelp of fear. He quickly wrapped his huge hands around her small neck and applied pressure until she slipped into unconsciousness. Her last thought was of a dying ember of hope.

Tears began forming around the edges of her eyes, but she quickly dashed them away. That was the past, and even if Mullion was tracking them, this time she was armed. This time she was better prepared. Lona was also positive about one thing: no matter what, she was never going back.

Scott opened one bleary eye and then sat up quickly. Night sounds were all around them, and the stars were their only light. Looking around, he noticed Lona was staring off into the distance. Tapping her on the shoulder, he asked with his eyes if everything was all right. She nodded. Then she began signing.

I think it is best if we travel at night. It is dangerous and hard to do, but it is more dangerous for us if we are caught. I know of a village that has a wave radio. Do you think you could contact your organization if we could get to the radio? Scott nodded his head without a second's hesitation. THUNDERBIRD 5's signal dishes had been built with the ability to pickup any kind of signal—radio, visual, wave, laser—and it had always performed admirably.

There is one other thing… Lona hesitated. She did not want to tell him. The village is due west of here. That means…we will have to retrace our steps. We will have to go past the Hood's temple again. She watched as he grimaced. He did not want to go back there anymore then she did. However, they both knew they had too. There was no other way.