CHAPTER EIGHT

Scott raised his arm and looked into his wrist communicator. "Alan, come in."

"Right here, Scott."

"You find anything?"

"No, everything's quiet in the hangar. I was about to head down the ramp. You?"

"Nothing. She's in good shape," Scott replied, glancing around at his cockpit. "Hang on, I'll join you."

"F.A.B."


Gordon exited Thunderbird 2 Lab and walked along the conveyer belt, machine pistol at the ready. He shone his torch into the shadows between each pod, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. As he reached the end of the belt, he headed for the pod vehicle maintenance bay. He'd barely gotten through the door when his watch beeped.

"Hi, Virgil."

"Gordon, you got anything out there?"

"Nope, not yet. 2's lab and the belt are clear, I was just on my way into the Maint Bay. How's your girl lookin'?"

"Fine. I've been through every nook and cranny. I don't see that marionette anywhere. I'll give Dad's jet a once-over, then head for the Secondary. Any of the pod hatches seem disturbed?"

"Didn't hit that side yet. I'll look in each of 'em after I'm done here."

"All right. Keep in touch."

"F.A.B."


John stirred, startling Tin-Tin, who was standing nearby with a laser rifle slung over her shoulder. Ruth Tracy frowned as she took in her grandson's unsettled state.

"He looks like he's having a nightmare," she commented.

"Yes, I imagine he is. Being attacked by something that should be inanimate must be wreaking havoc with his mind."

"Do you really think those things are possessed?"

Tin-Tin sighed. "I don't know, Mrs. Tracy. Father talks of such things being possible, but I have never witnessed demonic possession in any form, either of humans or things."

They heard something rustle outside the Sick Room door. Ruth came to her feet, a laser pistol seeming to appear from nowhere and settle into her hand. These were the times she was very glad her late husband Grant had insisted upon teaching her how to shoot a handgun.

Tin-Tin crept to the middle of the room, laser rifle pointed directly at the door. The muffled scraping continued and Ruth took aim as well. She and Tin-Tin exchanged glances before squaring the door in their sights once more.

A loud beeping was heard, and Tin-Tin jumped, nearly firing the rifle. It was her wrist com, someone was trying to contact her. "Yes?" she answered.

Scott's face greeted her, but he looked panic-stricken. "Tin-Tin! Get the Sick Room ready! Have it open!"

"Scott? What's going on?"

"It's Father!"

She and Ruth looked at each other, but couldn't ask any questions, as Scott had signed off.

"Something's happened to Jeff. We have to open that door."

"I know," Tin-Tin replied, steeling herself. "Mrs. Tracy, get behind the door. When I count three, key it open. If anyone other than a family member is out there, they're going down."

Ruth nodded and moved to the right of the door. "Ready," she said, her face puckered into a frown.

"One...two...three!"

Ruth punched the control panel and the door hissed open. The sight of a miniature John Tracy standing in the doorway carrying one of his arms in his hand, his head slightly askew and one eyeball shattered, momentarily took Tin-Tin aback.

"Oh!" Ruth exclaimed.

Small John rushed Tin-Tin, dropping his arm in the process. She took aim and fired, the blast searing through his chest and catapulting him back out the door. He landed with a thud against the wall before sliding down to the floor.


"Mr. Tracy!" Kyrano cried again, running across the cockpit and through the hatch. He dropped the pistol to the platform floor as he reached the railing. His pounding heart soared when he saw his benefactor still hanging on...though not by much.

"Kyrano! I'm slipping!" Jeff gritted out, the pain making speech nearly impossible.

Quickly assessing his options, Kyrano noticed that although the majority of the four-foot-tall metal cage around the platform was mesh, there was a gap between it and the top railing that ran around the entire structure. He grasped the railing and hoisted himself up, perching like a cat on its six-inch width.

Using his hands to hold himself up, he hooked his feet around and under the railing, then allowed himself to fall forward slowly, the discipline of the martial arts taking over. With his feet hooked securely between the rail and the mesh, he stretched his full length and reached out. He could just barely touch Jeff's hand, the one that held the platform so precariously.

"Mr. Tracy!" he called out, his voice tranquil. "You must take my hand!"

Jeff groaned. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. His mind just couldn't bear the pain his shoulder was causing. He kept telling himself he had to fight, he had to keep from falling. But his fingers were barely holding him.

"Kyrano, I-I can't reach-" he said, trying to bring his good arm up as high as it would go.

"You must swing yourself upward," Kyrano replied quietly.

"I won't be able to hold on!" As he heard his friend speak again, a feeling began to come over him...one of peace...of calm.

"I will catch you, Mr. Tracy. You must hurry."

Jeff had no earthly idea how he was going to be able to get up enough momentum to reach Kyrano's outstretched hands, but he trusted his old friend's words. As he felt the fingers of his hand slide for the last time, he gathered all his strength, swung his legs back and threw them forward, the momentum carrying him just within reach of Kyrano's hands.

Kyrano grasped Jeff's hand securely between his own. Had Jeff been looking up at that precise moment, he would've seen that Kyrano's eyes were closed. Smiling slightly, Kyrano opened his eyes and pulled Jeff's hand a little closer to his face. Twisting it a little, he brought Jeff's wrist com as close to his mouth as he could.

Jeff watched, wondering what Kyrano was doing, unable to believe he'd caught him. That he'd saved his life.

"This is Kyrano calling Scott. Come in, Scott."

"Scott here. What the--Kyrano, you're upside down! What's going on?"

"We require your assistance in Thunderbird 3 silo."


Within minutes, Alan, Gordon, Scott and Virgil were racing into the huge cavern beneath the roundhouse. They looked around wildly, but saw no one.

"Kyrano!" Alan called out. "Where are you?"

They heard a faint "Up here!" and looked above their heads.

"My God!" Scott cried as he took in the sight of his father dangling from the platform.

Before Scott could even react, Virgil was at the platform elevator control panel, keying in the command that would bring it down. "Hang on!" he called out.

Scott raised his arm and spoke into his wrist com. "Tin-Tin! Get the Sick Room ready! Have it open!"

"Scott? What's going on?"

"It's Father!"

Gordon, Scott and Alan took off their shirts, tying them together quickly to create a sort of hammock in case their father should fall. All four young men watched anxiously as the platform moved slowly toward them. When it reached about 100 feet, it was Alan who noticed exactly how Jeff was hanging.

"Kyrano's got him!" he said in wonder.

"Father! Are you hurt?" Scott yelled up.

But it was Kyrano who answered, "Yes!"

"Virg, you and Alan bring a stretcher."

"Right," Virgil replied as he and Alan boarded the monorail.

Scott took up the watch with Gordon as their father and Kyrano continued to descend. When at last they were about six feet off the ground, Scott reached up and grabbed Jeff's legs. It was only after he wrapped his arms around his father's thighs, and Gordon had his waist that Kyrano let go.

"What happened?" Gordon asked as Kyrano disentangled himself from the platform cage.

"Your father was attacked by the missing marionette," he replied. "Thankfully, I was there to assist him."

"Looks like you did more than assist," Scott commented as they laid Jeff out on the floor. "Father, can you hear me? Are you all right?"

Jeff blinked as he looked into Gordon's eyes and then Scott's. "Yeah. I'll be okay as soon as you pop my shoulder back into place." He moved slightly and winced.

"I don't think we'd better do anything, Father, until Tin-Tin can get a look at you."

Scott nodded. "Gordon's right. Just lie still. Virgil and Alan should be back with the stretcher any minute."

Jeff looked back and to his right where Kyrano stood, silently keeping watch. "Kyrano," he rasped as another stab of pain hit. "Thank you."

"It was an honor, Sir."

Jeff nodded and closed his eyes, willing the pain to go away. All he could think of was how close he'd come to not being there. How close his sons had come to losing their only remaining parent. He had only Kyrano to thank for not letting that happen. How had he done it?

As if echoing his father's thoughts, Scott asked, "Kyrano, how'd you get yourself hooked to the cage like that?"

"It was the only way I could reach your father. There was no alternative."

Gordon grinned. He really didn't know what had happened, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Jeff was safe. "Thanks."

"Yeah, Kyrano. Thanks."

Kyrano bowed. "You are welcome, boys. Ah, Virgil and Alan have arrived."


Virgil, Alan and Kyrano remained behind to search Thunderbird 3 silo, looking for the marionette Kyrano told them had fallen from the raised platform while Scott and Gordon took their father in the monorail.

They maneuvered the hover stretcher out of the monorail and through the access tunnel that would take them to the house. The trio quickly approached the hall leading to the Sick Room, but was surprised when they heard a blast directly ahead of them.


John was startled awake by the sound of laser fire. He sat bolt upright in bed, bringing his hand to his head as pain shot straight down into his neck.

"Aa!" he gasped, his eyes moving to look at the two women in the room. "Tin-Tin? Grandma? What's goin' on?"

Ruth stared at the marionette, which sat lifeless against the hallway wall, a gaping hole right through its chest. Tin-Tin turned to John, wide-eyed.

"We just killed your marionette."

"You did what?"

Ruth sprang back into action, rushing to her grandson's side. "Apparently something's happened to your father," she said.

"Yes, Scott called and told us to open the door for them. When we did, the puppet attacked!"

"What's happened to Father?"

"We don't know--" Ruth began to reply. But shouting from the hall interrupted her.

"Tin-Tin! Grandma! John!" a voice yelled. Within seconds, Scott appeared in the doorway. Gordon was close behind pushing the hover stretcher, upon which laid Jeff, his brow covered with sweat.

"Oh, Mr. Tracy!" Tin-Tin cried, rushing to the man's side.

"John, we heard a laser blast, what happened?"

"Tin-Tin killed my puppet," John replied.

"She killed it?" Gordon asked, standing on the other side of the stretcher.

"Yes," Tin-Tin said. "I did. I hit it right in the chest."

Gordon frowned, looking all around the room. "I don't see it anywhere."

"It's out in the hall," Grandma said as she, Tin-Tin and Scott worked to get Jeff into a second bed.

Gordon's normally golden-tan skin turned several progressively lighter shades of white. "A-Are you sure?" he managed to squeak.

"Yes, Gordon, we're sure. We both saw it happen," Tin-Tin said as she began examining Jeff's shoulder. "It's out in the hall."

"Uh...guys?"

"What is it, Gordo?" John asked, noticing the odd sound in his brother's voice.

"Tin-Tin, come here."

"Gordon, I really don't have time, I must set your father's shoulder."

Gordon's voice rose in pitch. "Tin-Tin. Come here."

She whipped around. Tin-Tin had never heard that tone of voice from him before. Everyone watched as she walked around the stretcher, her eyes never leaving Gordon's. He wordlessly pointed to the wall outside the door, where a dark burn in the paint told of the laser beam that had hit it.

Tin-Tin gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "Oh, my God!"

"What?" Scott asked. "What is it?"

Tin-Tin turned slowly to face them. "It's gone. The puppet...it's gone."