CHAPTER EIGHT

Day Two (continued)

John lifted Gordon and carried him to his room, where he dressed him in his pajamas before Grandma tucked him in to bed. With some difficulty, Jeff managed to pick Virgil up and get him to his room as well, taking the time to change him into his night clothes. Grandma was by a few minutes later to tuck her other ailing grandson in.

John and Jeff returned to the Lounge to find Kyrano awake and speaking quietly with his daughter.

"Kyrano," Jeff said, helping him to his feet. "Kyrano, what happened?"

"I-I cannot be certain, Mr. Tracy."

"Grandma said something about you being attacked," John offered. "By the Hood."

"The Hood? Surely you do not mean the arch-enemy of International Rescue?"

"You mean you don't remember the attack?" Tin-Tin asked.

"No, my daughter. I never do remember what occurs. I only know that I have lost time."

"Making people lose time seems to be the Hood's specialty," Jeff said darkly. "Where are Scott and Brains, they should've been back by now!"

Perfect timing being what it is, the eyes on Scott's portrait lit up in time to a steady beep. Jeff crossed to his desk and opened a channel.

"Base here."

"Mission successful, Father. Brains has collected several samples of the water from the well tank, the reservoir and the river itself. The guys at the factory were more than willing to help."

"How's that guard?"

"Chuck says he'll be fine. He sends along his thanks."

"Did you warn them about the potential water hazard?"

"Y-Yes, Mr., uh, Tracy. I-I made certain they understood. Oklahoma, uh, Peanuts has ceased operation until such time as their water is, uh, deemed safe by the World Center for Disease Control."

"I made sure Chuck and the others wouldn't tell WCDC about our involvement."

"Good move, Scott. We'd risk far too much exposure getting involved like that. We will, however, share anything we find with them."

"Right. ETA to Base now five.point.five minutes, Father."

"F.A.B."

"How's Virgil? And Gordon?"

"It's gotten worse, Scott."

"W-Worse?" Brains asked. "How?"

"Fill you in when you arrive."

"F.A.B. Thunderbird 1 out."

Jeff sighed as he closed the channel, rubbing his tired eyes with a hand that suddenly felt very old. He turned to the others gathered 'round and looked at each of them in turn before speaking.

"Tin-Tin, didn't you study some psychological sciences in the U.S.?"

"Why, yes, I did, Mr. Tracy. I took several courses in Psychology. Why do you ask?"

"Do you think we could somehow find Kyrano's lost memories about what the Hood asked him?"

"I hadn't thought of that. It is possible, I suppose. I could try hypnosis. Father? Are you up for it?"

"I will do anything I can to put right that which I have helped make wrong," Kyrano replied, bowing to Jeff.

"It's not your fault, Kyrano, surely you must know that."

"It may not be my fault directly, Sir. But I have had a hand in all of this. I am ashamed. I must assist in whatever way possible."

Jeff nodded. He knew his good friend would not be dissuaded from the guilt he felt, but right now they had to concentrate on potential solutions, not immerse themselves in remorse and regret.

"Father, I will need to gather a few items before we can begin. Why don't you wait in your room?"

Grandma entered the Lounge. "I'd like to be there," she said simply. She and Kyrano exchanged smiles.

"I feel that you were instrumental in my recovery from this last attack," Kyrano said, bowing to her. "I would be honored if you would join us."

"Okay, then, let's go. Jeff, I tucked the boys in. I left their watches on so you'll be able to hear them."

"Good thinking, Mother." Jeff paused as the whine of Thunderbird 1's engines announced her arrival. He flicked the switch that would retract the pool, allowing them to land. Once they'd slipped inside, he closed it again. "John, can I count on you to sit tight and monitor your brothers and Thunderbird 5? I'd like to be in the Lab when Brains and Scott bring those samples in."

"Sure thing, Father," John replied, seating himself at Jeff's desk. He turned around and opened two channels. Through one, they could hear Gordon's soft snore. Through the other, they heard breath so gentle it was almost inaudible.

"You call me immediately if they wake up," Jeff instructed. "Chances are they'll have lost even more of their memory, and we still don't know why they collapsed."

"F.A.B."

Jeff headed for the Lab. Halfway there, he met Brains and Scott, and together the three of them took the water samples down into Brains' hideaway to begin their work.

Day Three

Tin-Tin's attempt at hypnotizing her father proved fruitless. She therefore joined Jeff, Scott and Brains in the Lab while Grandma, Kyrano and John manned Base Control, cat-napping when they could. Alan called in periodically throughout the night just to check in and offer more ideas as they came to him. Gordon and Virgil barely moved, and were checked on every half-hour by Kyrano, Grandma or both together.

It was well past eight a.m. when Kyrano noticed his di was still laying on the floor near the piano where he'd dropped it when the Tracy brothers had collapsed. He picked it up and used his kimono to wipe it off.

"I don't think I've ever heard you play that," John said.

"Oh, it's lovely, John. Kyrano, won't you play something for us? It would help since we're not doing anything but sitting here."

"Of course, Mrs. Tracy."

"Ruth, Kyrano. Call me Ruth."

"Yes, Mrs. Ruth."

John chuckled as Kyrano seated himself on the step leading to the piano. Just as he brought the di to his lips, the eyes on Alan's portrait lit up, announcing his incoming transmission.

"This is Base to Thunderbird 5. Come in, Alan."

"Hi, John. Any word from the Lab yet?"

"No, not a thing. Kyrano was just about to play the di. Wanna listen in?"

"Sure. I barely slept a wink last night, it'd probably do me some good."

Closing his eyes, Kyrano blew softly into his instrument, and a haunting melody began to take shape. John leaned back in Jeff's chair and closed his eyes, allowing the sweet refrain to caress his mind and cleanse his thoughts. Grandma sat on a nearby chair, watching with fascination as Kyrano effortlessly worked his magic.

Alan smiled as he settled back in his mobile chair. He, too, let his eyelids drift downward as the tune wafted to him through so many miles of space.

Suddenly Alan sat bolt upright in the chair, his blue eyes widened in surprise. One eye twitched as he head shook hard in reaction to a sharp pain.

"Ah!" he cried out, instinctively raising his hand to his forehead.

John's eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet. "Alan?"

Grandma rose as well, followed by Kyrano, who had stopped playing the di.

The pain passed swiftly, and Alan sank back into the chair.

"Alan? What's wrong?" John asked, approaching his brother's portrait frame.

"I don't know, John...I felt a sharp pain in my head. Right here," he said, pointing toward his frontal lobe.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I-I feel fine. Guess it must just be lack of sleep."

"Okay. As long as you're sure."

"Don't worry about it. Kyrano, keep playing, would ya? It was very soothing."

Kyrano nodded as he sat down again, followed by John and Grandma. Once more the unique music filled the air like falling leaves drifting through the breeze to kiss the ground in autumn.

This time Alan didn't even get a chance to lean back and close his eyes. Within two minutes, the stabbing pain had returned. He grimaced and stumbled from his chair, moving across the Main Monitor Room to the tube lift. Grandma watched Kyrano, and John's back happened to be turned. When he stretched himself out on the couch, his eyes were closed before his head hit the armrest.

Alan shook his head, trying desperately to free himself from the throbbing headache he suddenly seemed to have acquired. Exiting the lift, he staggered to the bathroom near the main Sleeping Quarters where he found hypo-sprays of ASA. With some difficulty, he pounded two into his arm and headed back toward the lift. The pain had begun to subside, and Alan breathed a sigh of relief.

When he returned to the Monitor Room, he could hear Kyrano still playing softly from Tracy Island. Just as quickly as the headache had begun to leave, it now returned full-force. Alan didn't even make it halfway to the chair before he let out an ear-piercing cry and doubled over onto the floor.

John went from zero to sixty in about millisecond. "Alan! Alan, where are you?" he yelled, running to the portrait. All he could see was an empty chair. There was no sign of his brother, but he knew he'd heard him cry out.

Kyrano stopped playing as he and Grandma approached John.

"What's going on?" Grandma asked. John shook his head, having no clue. "Alan? Alan, it's Grandma, can you hear me?"

From somewhere off-camera, they heard him at last. But what reached their ears wasn't what anyone expected.

Alan tossed from side-to-side on the floor of the Monitor Room, growling at the intensity of what he was feeling. Without warning, his vision faded and was replaced by pictures...pictures he didn't recognize. It was like a movie was playing out in front of him; only it wasn't a movie...it was something from within his own mind.

The first scene was of he and Gordon splashing in the pool back on Tracy Island. In his mind, he gasped. They were naked! Then, just as quickly, he watched as he and Gordon...still, to his horror, wearing no clothing...stood in the Lounge in front of their father. It was evident they were arguing, and at first he couldn't hear their words. Then it all became clear, like someone had turned up the volume.

"Shut up, Gordon, you jackass!" Alan fumed, fists at the ready.

"Hey, knock it off, you little hothead!" Gordon retorted.

"Just you keep your mouth shut about Tin-Tin!"

"Who's gonna make me, Squirt, you?"

"Don't call me that!" Alan roared, lunging for his brother.

"Boys! You stop fighting this instant!"

"I'll call you whatever I want, you whiny little shit!"

"Screw you all to hell you little weakling!"

"I am not a weakling!"

"Yeah, that's why you can't do heavy rescue, wimp!"

My God, Alan thought as he watched, what is this? I don't remember any of this!

"You know I have a bad back!"

"Yeah, because you can't even pilot a Hydrofoil right. That's why your sorry ass got stuck with Thunderbird 4!"

"Yeah, well the only reason you've got Thunderbird 3 is because Dad wants to get rid of you for a month at a time!"

Alan was helpless. He couldn't do anything but watch this play out. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Discipline me? Jeezus, Father, I'm not a flippin' kid!"

"You were back then, son. You were out of control. You nearly destroyed an entire building."

"I see. So...let me get this straight...I'm a hotheaded, out of control little shithead that you're glad to be rid of every other month on that damned space station."

"That's not what I said."

"You didn't have to!"

A tear escaped Alan's eye and ran down his temple before pooling in his ear. But he couldn't move. He was paralyzed by this experience. Why was he saying the things he was saying? He knew none of it was true. Why, then, would he say it? Why?

"And you...you can take your piece of shit astronaut job and shove it up your ass! I'm through!"

Oh, my God, Alan thought for the umpteenth time. Oh, my God, did I really say that to Father? I couldn't have. I just couldn't have.

"I fixed him! Guess he's not the only genius in the house! Father hates all of us. We're just slaves to him so he can live out his damned dream. Well, we'll see who has the last laugh in this, Father! Only one more set of adjustments and I'll be on my way. Just you try and stop me!"

Mortified, Alan watched as he seemed to be doing some rewiring on Thunderbird 3, then blasting her off. He was dressed in civilian clothes, and didn't see himself change into his uniform once. He knew that was highly unusual, and wondered what was going on. Then a thousand thoughts crowded into his mind, so fast and furious that he couldn't keep up, he couldn't sort them all out. Before he could even react, he catapulted over the edge of confusion into oblivion.

Virgil slowly blinked his eyes, looking around as the room came into focus. When at last he could see properly, he sat straight up in his bed, pulling his blankets up around himself protectively. Eyes wide, he looked all around...not recognizing one single solitary thing. His breathing quickened and his heart raced. A strangled sound escaped his throat as panic began to set in.

Gordon yawned and stretched, fully intending to turn to his side and go right back to sleep. But for some reason it was very bright in his room, so he chose to stumble out of bed and draw the blinds. When he reached the window, however, he was stunned to find that instead of being one small window in a wall, it was a whole wall of windows! He rubbed his eyes with his fists, and then stared out at a brilliant blue cloudless sky and an ocean so dark it looked almost black.

"What in the heck?" he mumbled. He turned to take in his surroundings and retreated in fright until his back was against the glass wall. Wrapping his arms around his body, he sank to the floor, folding his knees tightly into his chest. "Where am I?" he whispered, eyes round as saucers. "Where am I?"

"Father!" John cried into the mike behind the desk. "Father, come quickly! It's Alan!"

"Oh, no!" Scott exclaimed as he, Jeff, Tin-Tin and Brains raced out of the Lab.

"John, that sounded like Virgil!" Grandma said, straining as she heard a funny sound.

John turned his attention to the speakers that were tuned in to Virgil and Gordon's chronometers. Suddenly he heard a quiet 'What the heck?' followed by 'Where am I?'.

"And that's Gordon!" he said. "They must've woke up."

"Kyrano, let's go check on them," Grandma said, frowning. All hell seemed to be breaking loose, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Kyrano nodded, pocketed his di, and followed her down the hall.

The foursome from the Lab burst into the Lounge. John met them halfway across the floor.

"What is it, son? What's wrong with Alan?"

"I don't know, Father. We were listening to Kyrano play the di. Al said he had a sharp pain in his head, but then he was fine. Kyrano continued to play, and next thing I know, Alan's not in his chair. I heard him cry out, then we heard...well, we heard..."

"What?" Tin-Tin asked. "What did you hear?"

"It was like a conversation."

"A conversation?" Jeff asked, walking toward the picture showing an empty Mobile Chair on Thunderbird 5.

"Yeah, Alan was having some sort of fight with himself, but I got the idea he was playing something out. He was talking crazy talk, Father. Calling somebody a wimp and...well, other words that aren't exactly nice. Then he was on about a hydrofoil and the Thunderbirds and being an astronaut...we couldn't catch it all, but it was a doozy!"

"Alan!" Jeff barked as he studied the vid picture. "Alan, it's your Father, can you hear me?"

Tin-Tin's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"What is it, Tin-Tin?" Scott asked.

"John," she gasped, "what exactly did Alan say?"

"What? I don't know, I don't remember every word. It all happened so fast."

"Please, John, you must recall, you must."

"What's going on?"

"Mr. Tracy, I...I'm not sure. John, please," she pleaded.

"Okay, okay, uh, he, um, well, he told someone to keep their mouth shut about you...and, uh, he said something about piloting a Hydrofoil right...then there was the part about taking your astronaut job and shoving it up your--"

"JOHN!" Jeff bellowed.

John's face turned pink as he clamped his mouth shut.

"Oh, my," Tin-Tin breathed.

"What?" Scott asked for what he felt like was the hundredth time.

"I remember that. I remember the part about the astronaut job...Mr. Tracy, that's when Father, Mrs. Tracy and I returned from our shopping expedition to find Alan and Gordon arguing with you here in the Lounge!"

Jeff frowned "What?"

"Yes, I recall that just as we were coming in, I heard him tell you to do something rather unpleasant with your astronaut job."

"How unpleasant, Tin-Tin?"

She blushed. "Quite, Mr. Tracy."

Brains nodded. "I-It sounds to me like, uh, Alan's remembered something of what happened while he was, uh, infected with the virus."

Jeff turned back toward the vid screen. "Alan! Alan, can you hear me?"

When there was no response, he turned to John and Scott. "You two, get up there in Thunderbird 3 right away! We'll keep the vid line open on our end and inform you of any changes. I want to know what's going on, so use maximum speed!"

"F.A.B., Father!" they saluted as they came to rest on the settee. It moved out-of-sight into the cavern below, but the rest of the room's occupants barely noticed.

Jeff was about to say something to Brains when he chanced to look up and see four people entering the room. He was surprised to see Grandma flanked by Gordon and Virgil, with Kyrano following several feet behind.

"Mother?" Jeff said, approaching them. "How are they?"

Ruth shook her head sadly. "Worse, Jeff. They're much worse. They're nothing more than teenagers."

"Teenagers?" Jeff repeated in disbelief. "You're kidding?"

"Father?" Virgil said, leaving his grandmother's side. "What happened to you?"

"Whaddya mean, Virgil?"

"You look so...old!"

"I what?"

"Whoa, who's that?" Gordon asked, making a beeline for Tin-Tin.

She blushed and stepped backwards, ending up pressed against Brains. The engineer peeked around her, and Gordon stopped in his tracks. "Father? What's going on? Who are all these people?"

"And where in the heck are we?" Virgil added.

Everyone turned to the portrait wall as John's picture signaled his call. Glancing once more at his two now-teenaged sons, Jeff headed for his desk and pressed a button.

"This is Base Control, go ahead, John."

Virgil and Gordon watched in amazement as a live shot of their brother replaced his picture.

"Cool!" Gordon said, heading for the wall.

"Father, we've just passed through the rarified atmosphere. We're running these engines into the ground. ETA to Thunderbird 5 is one.point.eight hours. Have you heard anything from Alan yet?"

"No, John, but things are a bit chaotic around here just now."

"How do you mean, Father?" Scott asked, moving into view.

"Holy shit!" Virgil exclaimed. "Look at you guys!"

"Check the uniforms...where are you?" Gordon asked.

Scott and John frowned at their brothers.

"Father, what's happened?"

"Well, it's like this, Scott," Jeff replied, deflating into the chair behind his desk, "I've got two teenagers in the house again."

Brains and Tin-Tin returned to the Lab, leaving Jeff, Kyrano and Grandma to corral Virgil and Gordon. It took them over an hour, but they finally succeeded in explaining to the boys what had happened, or as much as they knew anyway, and that they weren't really 17 and 13 years of age.

"In fact, Virgil, you just turned 33 three months ago," Grandma informed them. "And Gordon, you'll be 29 four months from now."

"This is unreal," Gordon breathed, looking all around. "What a neat pad!"

Jeff shook his head. As concerned as he was for his sons, he was also rather exasperated. "Listen, you two, we've got serious business to attend to here."

Gordon and Virgil, although mentally not in the present, recognized that tone of voice from Jeff Tracy. It allowed for no monkey business, so they retreated to the patio.

"This is International Rescue calling Thunderbird 3."

"Right here, Father."

"John, when Alan cried out in pain the second time, was there any indication as to the cause? Did he say or do anything before he began babbling?"

"No, I don't think so, Father. But I was on the couch with my eyes closed, so I can't be sure. I'm sorry I wasn't watching more closely."

"Don't be, son. You'd no way of knowing something was going to happen."

"Jeff, I was watching Kyrano mostly while he was playing, but I do recall seeing some movement out of the corner of my eye."

"What kind of movement, Mother?"

"Well, it was coming from Alan's general direction. You know, come to think of it, the first time he cried out, I was watching Kyrano play, too."

"Kyrano, you were playing the di the whole time?"

"No, Mr. Tracy. I stopped after Mr. Alan's first pain. When he recovered, he asked me to play again." Kyrano's eyes widened as he stared into his employer's eyes. "I believe, Sir, that Mr. Alan's attacks coincided rather strangely with my music."

"What are you saying, Kyrano?" Scott asked, having joined John at the monitor on Thunderbird 3. "You think your di had something to do with this?"

Jeff nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose it is possible. Let me hear you play it," Jeff instructed. "I'll turn the sound off Alan's feed, just in case."

Kyrano nodded, bowing slightly, as he removed the di from his pocket and brought it to his mouth. He blew into it, playing the same song he'd been playing earlier. Everyone listened, marveling at his talent, but unable to discern a connection.

"Ah! Ow!"

John turned. "Scott?"

Jeff headed for John's live feed. "What is it, Scott?" Before he could utter another word, he clutched his head as though in pain. "Arrrgh!"

"Father?" John asked, staring down to where his father knelt on one knee.

"Kyrano, it is your music!" Grandma said. "Don't stop playing. Don't stop!"

"But they are in pain, Mrs. Ruth."

Grandma bit her lip. Scott and Jeff recovered rather quickly, and both turned to face Kyrano and Grandma.

"What the heck was that?" Scott asked.

"Kyrano, what is that di?"

"Mr. Tracy, it is a simple musical instrument from my country. There is nothing special about it."

"I beg to differ, old friend." He turned to look up at John and Scott, then back at the others. "I want you to try something. I'm going to shut off sound to Thunderbird 3. I want you to play that song again."

"Aw, but Father, you don't know what it might do to you!"

"I have a hunch, Scott. I'm going to test it out on myself and that's that."

Scott opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the arrival of Brains and Tin-Tin.

"Mr., uh, Tracy, we've found it!" Brains announced.

"You've what?"

"We've found it, Mr. Tracy," Tin-Tin repeated. "We've found what it is that's caused Virgil and Gordon to regress."

The two men in question, having watched the drama unfold from their perch on the patio, decided to re-enter the Lounge.

"Regress?" Virgil asked.

"Yes, uh, Virgil. You see, we were right about the, uh, water at Oklahoma Peanuts being tainted."

"Peanuts?" Gordon asked, stifling a chuckle.

Jeff shot him a look as he replied, "But last night we tested those samples every which way from Sunday. There was nothing but simple compounds, and the rest of it was just the normal stuff you'd find in free-flowing water."

"That's right, Mr. Tracy. It wasn't until we mixed some of the compounds into one of Virgil's clean blood samples that this happened." Tin-Tin brought forth a small digi-card.

Jeff took it from her. "This looks like that spot that was on the MI scans."

"I-It is, Mr., uh, Tracy. Or at least a r-reasonable facsimile thereof."

John spoke from the vid screen. "You mean that separately in the water, those compounds couldn't hurt a fly, but when they're mixed together in the bloodstream..."

"...they form a living organism?" Scott finished.

"Exactly!" Brains exclaimed.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere!" Jeff said, very much relieved. "So now the question is, how do we kill it?"

"I, uh, I don't know that we should."

"What on Earth do you mean, Brains?" Grandma asked. "It's eating Virgil's and Gordon's memories away one at a time!"

"Yes, Mrs. Tracy," Tin-Tin replied, "but we don't know that killing it will reverse the side effects of its existence."

Jeff's face fell. "So even if you do manage to get rid of it, they may not recover their memories."

"That's, uh, right, Sir. W-We just can't be sure."

The patriarch's face hardened with steely resolve. "Then I'm going to test my theory. If I'm right, we may be able to use both science and music to solve this puzzle once and for all."

"Father, I think it's too dangerous. Why don't you at least wait until we get to Alan and make sure he's okay? You still haven't heard anything from him, have you?"

"No, John, we haven't. All right. You should be there in what, thirty minutes?"

"Roughly," Scott replied.

"Fine. Kyrano, prepare yourself to play that di like you've never played it before. Scott? John?"

"Yes, Father?" they responded in unison.

"I'm leaving Alan's channel open, and I'm turning the sound back on for now. Give a shout as soon as you arrive."

"F.A.B.," Scott replied.

"Thunderbird 3 out," John said as he cut the line.

"Brains, I want you and Tin-Tin to come up with a way to kill that damn thing that's taken over my sons' minds."

"Yes, Mr. Tracy," they replied as they left for the Lab.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Jeff?"

"I'm starving."

Grandma smiled. "Then I'll get us all something to eat. Virgil? Gordon? How about giving me a hand?"

"Right-o!" Gordon crowed.

"I'll be along in a minute, Grandma," Virgil said, eyeing his father.

"All right, Virgil. Come along, Gordon. The kitchen's this way."

Jeff watched as his mother and second youngest son headed out. He then turned to where Virgil was sitting on the piano bench.

"You all right, son?"

Virgil shook his head. "Do you know what it's like, Dad? To know that I'm 33 years old but feel like I'm only 17?"

"No, Virgil, I don't know. And I'm sorry you're going through this."

"Do you think it'll work? That guy with the glasses and the pretty girl...and whatever it is you plan on doing?"

"It's got to, Virgil. It's just got to."