Five
Scott took a deep breath as he taxied to a halt on the turf landing strip, applied the brake and started the engines on spooling down and all the other post-flight tasks that needed doing. This mission was a gamble. A big one. He touched the last of the switches to shut down the cargo plane, contemplated the now dried blood on his hands and made the last of his preparations.
His time in the military had left him with high level piloting skills, combat training, command training, four medals in velvet cases stashed with three lines of ribbons in the bottom drawer of his desk, four physical scars that hadn't faded yet, a bunch of others that only showed up if he pulled his skin just so, some very specific nightmares and a thick open file with a trusted psychologist. Four and a half months in a Bereznik POW camp would do that.
He'd survived it mostly intact by switching off. Every part of him that was Scott, all the parts of him that could be hurt- the son, the brother, the friend- were buried deep and hidden away where the enemy couldn't touch them. When he'd realised there wasn't going to be a rescue until he made it happen, he'd taken an opportunity, escaped, and somehow had the luck to fall in with a group of rebels and a couple of World Council agents who smuggled him out of the country as they caused chaos and mayhem in their wake. He'd participated with enthusiasm, being armed with ample engineering knowledge to give good advice about how to effectively cripple expensive machinery.
He'd started the process back on the Island, but now he finished it. With a detachment that would have surprised anyone who knew him, Scott reached for the concealing darkness from that P.O.W. camp that still lingered in the back of his mind and used it to hide the last parts of him that could be hurt. He couldn't let his love for his family distract him right now. His focus had to be the mission- stop The Hood.
He clambered out of the small cockpit, looked around to get his bearings and saw nothing but overcast skies, damp and windswept brown grass, the dark hump of a corrugated iron hangar and in the distance a white farmhouse with a red roof. The Hood would be here soon enough, he knew that, but for now he had his instructions to follow.
As he worked the latch for the side door to the cargo compartment, there was one thing that buoyed him amidst his grim task. He only heard it because he was listening for it- the faintest hum of a distant engine at high altitude.
Kayo was up there, waiting to swoop in. He wasn't alone. It was reassuring, but he didn't dare let himself feel that emotion for too long, lest it distract him from the task at hand, and in any case she couldn't act until the bomb was out of play. That was the plan and he had to buy time for Brains and The Mechanic to make it happen. Once that was done, then they could deal with The Hood.
He just hoped they'd get it done soon. While emotionally he was sort of managing, physically he was approaching exhaustion and his control was hanging by a thread right now- if he cracked, he risked the entire mission. He couldn't let that happen.
Scott got the sliding door open and started on the cargo straps, forcing himself to ignore faces, names and the smell of dried blood. As he leaned in and scooped up the first body, he noticed they weren't quite ragdolled like an actual body, it was only the slight tension still in the muscles that could give the game away, but aside from that, the illusion was almost perfect. He grunted under the effort of lifting the tall and bulky frame, took the body a few steps away and laid it down on the grass, making sure the improvised shroud would stay in place despite the brisk off-shore breeze. The second body was physically lighter, but emotionally harder. This one always surprised him with their size, they always seemed to grow taller in his mind's eye. Placing them down in the grass was hard. He'd just retrieved the third and laid them down when he heard the silken voice behind him.
"Well now, five out of seven Tracys isn't bad. All in all, a good day's work." The Hood congratulated him as he approached, stopping with hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed Scott's handiwork. "A pity you couldn't bring in Brains, The Mechanic or Kayo as well, but I want them alive." He graced Scott with a slow crocodile smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to manage that for me later, especially now that your clever brother isn't around to warn them anymore."
Scott chose to remain silent at the needling, fists clenching and unclenching in impotent rage and lips twisted in a soundless snarl.
"No pithy remark? No snappy quip?" The Hood drawled, amused. He paced the row of bodies, smirked and arrogantly turned his back on Scott to gaze at the horizon. "I have big plans for you, my boy. Starting with Tracy Island, the Thunderbirds and Tracy Industries."
0o0o0
"John, what's the delay?"
John's restless fingers stopped beating their tattoo as Kayo's voice sounded in his ear. "Still waiting on the bomb. They've just started the procedure to disarm it, another four minutes to go. Stay put." Something about her tone was setting off warning alarms for John; he'd sensed old wounds ripping open for her as soon as he'd first briefed her on the situation. "Kayo, follow the plan and stay put until the bomb is defused."
"I can't just watch this any longer!"
The frustration was understandable but it was distress that made her voice waver and hearing it tore at John's heart. It was exactly like on the Fireflash when Kayo thought she was making her farewells and just like then he'd only been able to listen, watching from afar. She was their sister, she loved all of them, and though she was fondest of Alan, John knew she was closest to Scott, despite or perhaps because of all the times they butted heads.
"I'm going after Scott." Kayo declared, her voice over the radio regaining its usual even keel as she decided on her actions. "It's taking too long, The Hood may have more nanobots or something worse, I've got to distract him and buy more time."
"Kayo, no, stick to the plan!" John swore under his breath when the signal cut out, nothing but static answering him. "Dad, we have to go!" He leaned forward, reaching for the lever that controlled the docking clamps.
"No John." Jeff shook his head, clearly reluctant but his hand was firm on John's arm to stop him from disengaging the docking clamps. "If we launch too early and he notices before the bomb is disarmed he'll blow it. It's us versus the lives of everyone in New York. Follow the plan. I don't like it either, son."
"F.A.B." John reluctantly sat back in the chair, his hand returning to his knee. This time he couldn't keep himself from grinding his teeth as he waited for the signal. "Come on guys, what's taking so long?"
0o0o0
The whistle of wind over wings was the only warning before Kayo swooped in like an avenging angel, discarding her air brake as she landed between Scott and The Hood with fists raised and half crouched, ready to fight. "Hello Uncle." Every syllable dripped with disdain. "Up to your old tricks again?"
"Ah, Kayo." The Hood turned, delight illuminating his features. "I was hoping you'd make your appearance soon, I knew there'd be no way you'd allow your 'family' to fall into my hands without putting up a fight. Ah! Not so hasty my dear." He held up his controller as she took a step towards him, his thumb hovering over a button on the side. "Take one more step and I'll stop Scott's heart." He warned.
"You wouldn't dare." Kayo's eyes narrowed, cat-like as she waited for her moment to strike. "If I know you, you need him alive for your plans, probably as a puppet while you control Tracy Industries from the shadows."
"A living Scott Tracy would make it easier, true." The Hood shrugged nonchalantly. "But getting past the lockdowns on Tracy Island and the Thunderbirds is simply a matter of time and I don't need him alive for a palm print or iris scan. For the rest, I daresay a little acting and a hologram-equipped drone will let me puppet a convincing version of Scott Tracy. It's the height difference you see. My holograms are good, but not that good." He smirked as he regarded her. "As for you, I think it's high time you took your place in my organisation, since International Rescue now no longer exists." He withdrew a slim auto-injector from an interior pocket of his suit jacket. "I was going to use this on Scott, but this opportunity is simply too good to pass up. This should be enough nanobots to deal with even your indomitable will. Scott," He directed his attention to the eldest Tracy son. "Be a good boy and hold her still for me. This won't take long."
"No." Scott snarled out the word, fists clenched and narrowed eyes like chips of ice. "I won't."
"No matter, doing it myself will be far more satisfying." The Hood smirked. "However, in case you have any ideas about trying anything while I take care of this…" The Hood's thumb jammed down on a different button and Scott dropped with a howl, his face pulled into a rictus of pain as he collapsed into the grass.
A/N: I learned from JED1 on AO3 that Scott being a POW is comic canon, I've been looking but I haven't found that particular issue yet. His escape isn't covered in detail in the comics, so I've borrowed a little from JED1's theories/stories as to how he got out.
