CHAPTER THREE

"John, come in!" Jeff barked into the mike on his desk. Tin-Tin cried quietly from her perch on the corner of the desk.

"Thunderbird 5 here. What's the matter, Father?"

"John, do you have Thunderbird 3 on your radar?"

He took a moment to check his radar screen before nodding and replying, "Yes."

"What's his course?"

"Same as always, looks like he's headed here. Father, is it Alan?"

Jeff just nodded.

"Why is Alan coming up here now? I'm not due for shore leave 'til Saturday."

"John, I think I'd better tell you the whole story."

It took almost half-an-hour, but finally Jeff had conveyed everything to his middle son, who sat in quiet shock in front of the vid camera.

"So you mean to tell me every one of my brothers has gone mad?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying. There's no telling what Alan might do in his present state of mind."

"What should I do, Father?"

"Hope to hell he docks with you. And pray, son. Just pray."

"F.A.B," John replied quietly. "Thunderbird 5 out."

"Uh, M-Mr. Tracy?"

Jeff sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Yes, Brains?"

"I think I may have f-figured out what's, uh, wrong with them."

He perked up. "What is it, Brains?"

"Well, I, uh, I got Virgil down to my laboratory and managed to sedate him. He was awfully angry."

"I'm sure he was."

"I took a sample of his blood. I found, uh, some sort of virus. It attaches itself to the neurons of the brain, inhibiting some of them and increasing the speeds at which others of them fire."

Jeff had barely noticed Brains' lack of stuttering.

"I found a published treatment of a similar case about thirty years ago. A sociologist, April Jade, and her assistant found Cumbaquay quite by accident and decided to remain on the island to study the inhabitants and their way of life. Seven months after they first landed, the assistant returned to Peru where she recounted a horrific story about how Dr. Jade and several of the indigenous peoples became violent and went insane. In the end, all five people committed suicide."

Jeff paled as he thought of Scott's leap from the balcony.

"I, uh, took the liberty of contacting that assistant, one Clarissa Maycombe. I spoke with her at length and found disturbing similarities between Dr. Jade's behavior and that of your sons."

"So you think they have contracted this virus?"

"It seems to be the only logical conclusion."

"Where's the antidote?"

Brains looked at the floor, fiddling with the pencil in his hands. "That's just it, M-Mr. Tracy. There is no known cure."

"No," Tin-Tin whimpered.

"Don't tell me that, Brains."

"W-Well, there is one possibility. It's a remote one, b-but it's our only chance."

"Well, what is it?"

"Mrs. Maycombe researched the virus for almost ten years after the incident on Cumbaquay. But the grant funding her research was retracted after she failed to provide anything more than conjecture. She feels the virus was somehow plant-based, and identified one plant on the entire island she thought might hold a cure. But Cumbaquay was put under quarantine, so she hasn't ever been able to get back there to get a sample of the plant for use in a potential vaccine."

"Under quarantine!" Jeff bellowed, rising from his chair. "Why didn't it show up registered as such when John identified it?"

"Well, uh, it was just removed from the A-list and dropped down to R. Only a few weeks ago."

"Has this Mrs. Maycombe been able to get back to get a sample of the plant?"

"N-no, Sir. She's in failing health and too old now to do anything more about it. And nobody else wants to go to the island, they're afraid of contracting the disease."

"From what I've seen, it's well they should be. There's only one thing to do, Brains. I have to travel to Cumbaquay and find the plant."

"I-I'm sorry, Sir, but you w-wouldn't be able to find that plant if it reached up and g-grabbed you by the seat of your p-pants."

Jeff chuckled, then something occurred to him. He loosened the collar of his shirt. "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"

"O-Oh, no," Brains moaned.

"What?"

"Mrs. Maycombe told me th-the first sign of infection is that the patient feels unbearably h-hot. Then a f-fever sets in and finally madness."

Jeff paled. "Are you saying I'm infected?"

"Did you touch any of them? Skin to skin?"

"Yes. Yes, I did. I touched Scott when he was out on the ledge. I still have no idea where he went."

"Oh, d-dear. That's what I was afraid of. Mrs. Maycombe said her findings showed the virus could only be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. Tin-Tin, have you touched any of the boys?"

"No, Brains. I have not."

"I touched Virgil's clothing as I was leading him to the Lab, but after that I wore protective gloves. H-How about M-Mrs. Tracy and Kyrano?"

"I took them to Mrs. Tracy's room shortly after we returned from shopping. They haven't left as far as I know," Tin-Tin replied.

"Mr., uh, Tracy, I need to be the one to go to Cumbaquay. If you're getting sick, the madness could kick in before you find the plant I need."

"I'm going with Brains," Tin-Tin announced.

"You most certainly are not!" Jeff said.

"Mr. Tracy, please. I cannot sit here and do nothing. Brains might need help. I have the scientific expertise to provide that help."

Jeff sighed. "All right. What you say makes sense. First, go and tell Kyrano and Grandma to gather enough food and water to last themselves a few days. Tell them to stay locked in Mother's room no matter what they hear happening outside the door, and they are not to come out until you and Brains give them the all-clear."

"Yes, Mr. Tracy." Tin-Tin left the room as Brains walked closer to Jeff's desk.

"Brains, contact John and bring him up to speed so he knows what he's dealing with when Alan arrives."

"Okay. Uh, if you want, I can sedate Scott and Gordon. To keep them from harming themselves until we return. I-I could sedate you as well."

"I think sedating the boys is a good idea. Where's Virgil now?"

"I brought him back up to his room on a hover stretcher. He's resting comfortably in his bed."

"Right. But since you're not infected and I am...I'll do the sedating."

"What about you?"

"I can't be sedated now, Brains. I have a sick son hurtling through space to God-knows-where and another all alone and worried to death on Thunderbird 5."

"B-But Sir..."

Jeff held his hand up. "Leave me with a shot of the medication. As soon as I start to lose my grip on reality, I'll inject myself."

"I don't know you'll realize it when you do."

"I have to take that chance. For Alan's sake."

Brains nodded. "I'll just fetch the syringes from my Lab."

Jeff watched as Tin-Tin and Brains left for Cumbaquay aboard Tin-Tin's little plane 'Ladybird'. He then set out to find his oldest son, whom he hadn't seen since the incident on the ledge. He decided to start in the roundhouse.

Gordon, although quite sad and zombie-like, hadn't seemed nearly as insane as his brothers. It had been fairly easy to jab him with the needle, and without protest he was out like a light. Jeff had tucked him comfortably into bed, and then gone to check on Virgil. He'd smiled at the way Brains had covered Virgil as well. That Brains was an old softy beneath his hard science exterior.

Finally, he'd spoken through the door to his mother and Kyrano, assuring them they were doing everything possible to save the boys. He neglected to add that he was infected as well, deciding they would worry even more if they knew.

Now, as he took the steps to the roundhouse two-at-a-time, he started feeling the effects of the fever. He was positively burning up. Sweat began forming at his hairline and trickling down his neck and face. He stopped at the roundhouse entrance, setting his mind firmly. He was not going to give in to this virus, no matter what. He had to stay strong. For his boys.

As he entered, he heard a strangled sound, like something was...like someone...was having trouble breathing!

"Scott!" he yelled, straining to tell which direction the sound was coming from. "Scott, are you in here?"

Jeff darted to the left, eyes scanning everywhere at once. When he was about halfway 'round, he spotted something that froze his heart in mid-beat.

"NO! SCOOOOOOTT!"

Swaying to and fro in front of him was his son, swinging from the ceiling. He was still alive...the strangled sounds were coming from him as he struggled against the rope around his neck. Jeff grabbed his legs and lifted him up, allowing Scott to gasp in some air.

"Grab the top of the rope, son!" Jeff ordered. "Hold yourself up while I pull the chair over!"

He looked up and saw that Scott had indeed grasped the rope above his head. He reached for the chair Scott had obviously kicked over and stood it upright, allowing his son's feet to rest upon it. He watched as Scott removed the noose and started falling off the chair. It took all Jeff's strength to stop his fall and carry him to the nearest chaise lounge.

Tears sprang to Jeff's eyes as he took in the rope burn forming a perfect necklace around his son's throat. Scott was still gulping in large breaths of air, but seemed on the whole to be okay.

"My God," Jeff breathed. "You almost gave me a heart attack. And I'm serious."

"Why did you stop me?" Scott coughed. His strength drained, he sank back onto the lounge.

"What the hell kind of question is that? I saved you because...because I love you, dammit!"

Scott eyed his father warily. When was the last time his father had spoken those words to him?

"Listen to me, son. You're sick. You contracted a virus on Cumbaquay, you and your brothers all did. I've got it, too. Now, Brains is looking for a cure, but until he finds it, we're all going to be sedated."

Scott shook his head. His father was speaking too quickly; he just couldn't grasp the words. "Huh?"

"Here, just let me see your arm."

Before Scott even knew what was happening, Jeff had stuck him with the syringe and emptied its contents into his arm. That done, he leaned back in the chair for a moment to gather his wits. He never ever thought he'd see the day when Scott Tracy tried to kill himself. He prayed he'd never see it again.

John fiddled with the sash on his uniform as he watched Thunderbird 3 come nearer and nearer. "Come on, Alan," he said, staring at the blip that contained his little brother within. "Come see Johnny-boy."

Both Jeff and John had tried unsuccessfully to reach Alan by vid or COM link, but Alan was either ignoring them or had shut down the communications system altogether.

"Come on, you have to be coming here. You just have to."

John had never felt this helpless, not even during the most harrowing rescues his brothers had gone on. Alan was sick. Very, very sick, from what his father had told him. If he didn't come to Thunderbird 5, what would John do? He couldn't just let Alan keep going.

Then something triggered in the back of John's mind. Something he remembered reading several years ago in one of Brains' manuals on Thunderbird 5. He tore his eyes from the radar screen and ran to a nearby closet. He looked at his watch as he opened the closet door. If Alan were going to dock with him, he only had about twenty-five minutes before their paths would cross.

That didn't leave John a lot of time.

Jeff had loaded Scott onto a hover stretcher and ferried him back to the villa through the tunnel. He carefully tucked him into bed, checked on Gordon and Virgil, spoke briefly to his mother and Kyrano, and headed back out to the Lounge. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He was deathly hot, but worked hard to keep his brain functioning.

"Base calling Thunderbird 5. Come in, John."

But John didn't answer. A chill ran up and down Jeff's spine as he checked his chronometer. Could Alan have docked already? What was going on up there?

"John, this is your father. Come in!"

"Right here, Father!" John finally answered as his vid clicked on.

"Jesus, son, don't do that to me. Has Alan arrived yet?"

"No, Father, and there's only about fifteen minutes 'til he reaches me. I've, uh, I've come up with a contingency plan, but I'll have to work fast."

"What is it?"

"Tell you what, I'll leave my wristband line open and talk while I work."

"Okay."

Jeff was sweating profusely now. He took out his handkerchief and had it soaked within seconds of it touching his face and neck. He waited as John's vid winked out, wondering how Tin-Tin and Brains were faring, praying they were finding what they needed.

"I should be able to set it down on the beach there," Tin-Tin said as they flew over Cumbaquay.

"Right. Let's do it," Brains replied.

Ten minutes later, Brains and Tin-Tin were nearing the scene of the first attack. They reasoned the plant in question must be in that general area, since that's where the dogs had first gone berserk. They used hand-held scanners programmed to search for this particular plant's bio-readings. They scanned left and right in a fan out from each other.

"I certainly hope no other animals have gotten sick," Tin-Tin commented, her eyes glued to her scanner.

"M-Me, too. I'm afraid I don't make a very good d-defender."

Tin-Tin smiled. Brains was always putting himself down even though he was the most amazing man she'd ever met. Well, and she blushed at the thought, besides Alan, that was. Then she frowned as she recalled Alan's current predicament. She prayed he wouldn't do anything foolish, then pushed those thoughts from her mind as her scanner began to beep.

"Brains! I think I've found one!"

"L-Lemme see!"

They moved quickly in the direction the scanner had indicated. Within five minutes, they were standing over a tiny light-green plant that stood no more than five inches high. It had three leaves; all bearing three yellowish spots each.

"Th-That's it," Brains confirmed. "That looks exactly like the picture Mrs. Maycombe sent me. The Corginus Machinis. Quickly, put the gloves and masks on."

Tin-Tin nodded and dug into her backpack. Since they knew the virus was transmitted by skin contact, they covered their hands with gloves and their faces with protective masks. The rest of their bodies were fully covered in one-piece flight suits and boots.

"Right. Open the container, Tin-Tin. I'm gonna grab it."

She did as requested and watched anxiously as Brains reached down to the base of the plant and pulled gently. The plant came out of the ground with minimal resistance, but just as Brains was about to place it into the container, he yelped and dropped it.

"Brains! What happened?"

"O-Oh, no. I-It has th-thorns. Tiny ones." Brains held up his right index finger for Tin-Tin to see the spot of blood oozing out of a hole in his glove.

"Oh, Brains. Do you think you'll be infected?"

"I don't know, but w-we have to move even f-faster now. If I am, I-I won't have the presence of mind to c-create an antidote!"

Tin-Tin reached into her backpack and pulled out what looked like long tweezers. She picked up the plant by its stem and placed it into the container, tightly sealing it with a special digital combination only she and Brains knew.

They returned to Ladybird and loaded all their gear inside. "I have to dress that wound," Tin-Tin said.

"N-No! Tin-Tin, if you touch me, and I'm infected, you'll get it, t-too! We can't all of us be insane."

She sighed. "You're right, of course. Let's get back to the island and see how they're doing."

"R-Right."

"So what is it you're doing, John?"

"Well, Father," John replied as he began flipping switches and buttons. He pulled a panel off the front of the Control Panel and lay down to gain better access to its guts. "I remembered reading something in one of Thunderbird 5's manuals a few years back. Something about making her move."

"Making her move?"

"Yeah. See, I figure if Alan overshoots me, or if he looks like he's going to, I need to be able to stop him."

"Making her move?" Jeff could feel himself slipping, could feel his mind going. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. Not yet.

"Right. Hang on." John fiddled with a few wires before continuing. "Turns out Brains built a set of rockets into this baby."

"Yes, I knew they were there. We're supposed to use them if we ever have to move the satellite."

"Exactly. So my thought is, why not use them to stop Alan?"

"Well, what the hell are you gonna do, ram him?"

John sat up and looked into his father's eyes. "It'd sure beat letting him get past me."

"John, I can't ask you to--"

"You're not asking me, Father. I'm doing it, no matter what you say. I can't just sit here kicking my heels up if he flies by. I have to do something!"

"I know you do, son. I know you do. But...how will you survive? The impact alone would blow you both to pieces!"

"A-ha, that's what I thought at first, too. But I won't actually ram him, Father. If I jet air through the gravity compensators, combine that with the blast from the rockets and throw open the airlock in precise conjunction, I can create a disturbance so strong it'll slow Thunderbird 3 enough for me to fire Thunderbird 5's grabs and send an electronic command to shut her engines down."

Jeff shook his head. Not now, dammit. Not now. "You really think you can do all that at once?"

John looked across the room at his radar screen. "We're about to find out!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. "He's changing course!"

"What!"

John raced to the airlock and hurriedly put his space suit on. Then he returned to the panel. The space suit's helmet had a built-in communicator, so he used that for an open line to Base.

"A few more adjustments..." he muttered.

"John?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm...about to go, son. I'm infected, too. I-I can feel myself slipping."

"What? Dad! Brains didn't tell me you got it!"

"Sorry, I-I..."

"Father?"

"Just save Alan. Save him and get him home. Please."

John felt tears sting his eyes. "I will, Father. I promise you. I will."

"I love you, John. Go carefully."

John choked out a sob. "I love you, too, Father."

"Base out."

"This is Ladybird calling Tracy Island. Come in, please."

Tin-Tin and Brains looked at each other. Why wasn't Jeff answering?

"Ladybird calling Tracy Island. Requesting clearance to land. Over."

Nothing.

"I-I guess we should assume M-Mr. Tracy gave himself the sedative," Brains offered.

"Right. I'm landing."

Ten minutes later, Brains and Tin-Tin rushed into the Lounge. "Mr. Tracy!" they cried.

Jeff sat straight as an arrow behind his desk, his hands gripping the edge of it 'til they'd gone ash white with the effort. His eyes stared straight ahead and his body trembled slightly.

"Mr. Tracy, are you all right?"

"Try-ing...to...keep...con-trol," he ground out.

"W-We have the plant. Just t-take the sedative. W-We'll find a way to cure you."

One solitary tear rolled down Jeff's cheek. "Keep...con-tact...John...try-ing...to...save...Al-an."

"All right, Mr. Tracy, we will, we will," Tin-Tin soothed.

"I'll take him to his room," Brains offered. "J-Just in case."

"Okay. I'll start collecting cell samples from the plant."

"Cover up, Tin-Tin. Every inch of you."

"I will."

Brains went to Jeff as Tin-Tin headed for the Lab. "Can, uh, can you walk?"

Jeff nodded. "Hurry, Brains. I-I can't fight it...much...longer."

Brains helped him up by his arm and led him slowly back to his bedroom. As Jeff lay down upon the bed, Brains prepared the injection.

"I-I'm so...angry!" Jeff seethed, using every last ounce of his willpower to keep the feelings at bay.

"I know, Sir. I-I know. Here. Y-You'll sleep n-now."

Quick as a flash, Brains had injected Jeff with the drug, and it knocked him out immediately. It was only then that Brains realized they were truly alone. Grandma and Kyrano were there, of course, but they were not going to be at all helpful in this current situation. Tin-Tin was a pretty delicate flower, and Brains was...well, he was a geek. At that moment, the engineer felt the weight of possible failure close in.

"N-No, I c-can't think that way," he stammered, rising to his feet. He took Jeff's shoes off and covered him with his blankets. "I w-won't fail you, M-Mr. Tracy."

"Alan! Alan don't you overshoot me!" John yelled into the mike. But it was no use. Alan still wasn't acknowledging. "Okay, little brother. You asked for it!"

John watched through the view port as Thunderbird 3 approached just to the left of his position. Alan would pass only about half-a-mile from the edge of Thunderbird 5. John took this as a good sign. As close as he was, John's little trick might just work. Or blow them both to hell. Either way, John realized, it was now or never.

Alan had paced his ship from stem to stern and back again a hundred times. He'd ridden the lift up and down from the Lounge to the Cockpit and back at least fifty.

When he'd first taken off from Tracy Island, he'd been sure he was doing the right thing. John didn't want to be on Thunderbird 5, he was certain of it. But as one hour had passed and then two, Alan began to wonder if he were right about John. After all, he and John had never really been close. They were never together except during change of rotation. He hadn't spent any real time with his brother in five years.

So how could he be sure what John was thinking? In his crazed mind that developed into a surety that John was somehow in it with their father, that John and Jeff together had organized the whole plot to make Alan rotate with John, getting him off the island for a month at a stretch.

The nearer he drew to Thunderbird 5, the more certain he became that he was right. "Well, I'll just show you!" he growled as he changed course. "I'll go out and find a place to live where no one is out to get me and where everyone thinks I'm the important one. That stupid kid Umbabwe thought I was a god. I can find others who will think I am, too!"

With that, Alan was half-an-hour away from passing by his last hope in the universe.

"Y-Yes, I think this is it. I think it is!" Brains fairly crowed.

"You have it, Brains?"

"Yes, uh, Tin-Tin, I believe I do! Boy, is it getting hot in this suit!"

"Brains..."

"Y-Yeah, I know, I know. Symptoms. I have to finish this. I just have to."

"But how will you know it works, Brains? You'll have to test it on someone."

Brains looked up, straight into Tin-Tin's eyes. "If I can finish this before I lose my mind, I'll test it on myself. I-If I don't, you have to call for help."

Tin-Tin nodded. If that happened, International Rescue's secrets would surely be known by the world. Either way you looked at it, the end was near.