Scott took Thunderbird One high above the clouds; up where the thinner air offered less resistance and he could really test the repairs. He had barely a grip on the controls and frowned in concentration, listening to the smallest noise and noting every slight vibration.

She was perfect. Better than perfect. And he was almost glad he'd nose-dived her into the White House lawn in order to have this new improved version of the awesome jet. He settled back into the seat and let a small sigh of satisfaction fill the silence around him.

"You know." Penny leaned forward against the harness and smiled across at him. "There is really no need to go easy just because I am aboard."

Scott glanced at her and nodded in agreement. But the truth was that he was in no mood for barrel-rolling or sweeping dives; he just wanted to cross the American mainland and Atlantic as fast as he possibly could. And this was certainly the way. The wings retracted and the craft took on the illusion of growing longer, thinner, slicing through the air effortlessly like a Samurai through rice paper. And before they knew it, they were shooting over the Western coast of England.

In moments they were reducing speed and altitude, banking into a steady hover above the city. Dark clouds engorged with water concealed their presence but Scott took a habitual look at the detection shield to ensure complete obscurity.

Penny peered below them at the undulating mass of greys and charcoal blacks and frowned in thought.

"Now what do we do?" Scott offered with a sigh.

Penny glanced back and smiled in agreement.

"How do we find him?" Scott continued.

"Maybe he will find us."

Scott waited for her to explain.

"Land." Penny shrugged, "Past experience tells us just how much panic that will cause and maybe he will get wind of it and come seek us."

Scott groaned in dismay. "Oh, this is insane." He grumbled, "We've got no chance. Serious grain of sand on a beach time."

"Well, being defeatist certainly won't help." Penny offered lightly, "Why not start where Alex lives?"

And Scott laughed suddenly, "Oh, man! If he's been here having tea and biscuits all this time, I'm gonna kill him!"

Penny chuckled at the notion and peered down at the satellite imaging of the city below them. She tried to decipher landmarks and get her bearings, looking for which way they ought to head.

"Thunderbird One from Base?"

Scott flicked on the comm. "Go ahead, Dad."

"Have more information for you." Jeff began, "We have your position and TinTin says you need to head East and … huh?" He paused as if listening to someone. "She says follow the river and she'll tell you when to stop."

Penny looked at Scott. Scott looked at Penny. Both of them shrugged a response and Scott mumbled an affirmative, turning One and using the satellite GPS to guide his path. He flew steadily, matching the winding river route and waiting for news. He could imagine what was happening back on the island and recalled TinTin's absolute assuredness that this would work.

He could see her in his mind, hunched over the laptop in John's room. She had suggested sitting in there would allow a better connection and they had rigged up Penny's computer with the positioning imagery. She was no doubt now deep in the same weird trance she had achieved before, somehow sensing where John was and interpreting her feelings alongside the map co-ordinates.

"Stop!"

Scott gasped slightly and pulled One into a stationary hover. He peered at the map and thought he recognised the image.

Penny shook her head in confusion, looking down through the clouds and imagining the mid-afternoon streets below them.

"This is where we brought him after Kaz - " Scott trailed off, unable to say that name aloud. "We're over the hospital."

Penny nodded, the same thought crossing her worried face.

"Dad?" Scott asked quickly, "Is he in the hospital?"

"I … I'm not sure … she's thinking …"

Scott sighed and clutched the controls tightly, adrenaline building. Maybe they should just get down there and find out. Maybe Penny could phone them and find out. There must be something else they could do other than just hang here. He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to calm, trying to reassure himself that he needed to be patient for just a little longer.


Alan sat in the quiet of his brother's altogether too empty room and waited. After the third time of being urged to sit still and shut the hell up, he had relented and was now doing as he was told. Not that it was easy. He needed to find his brother just as much as anyone else and being here at the seeming centre of the search was becoming frustrating. As much as he wanted to be here and be supportive, patience just wasn't something in his repertoire and his heart was thudding in his ears.

Looking up from studying his hands and counting calmly inside his head, he watched TinTin in intrigue. She was perfectly still and had been for what seemed hours. Alan glanced at his watch and was surprised to find that only seventy seconds had passed since he last looked; giving this whole operation a grand total of only 23 minutes.

TinTin's silence was suddenly broken by a gentle moan and Alan flicked his head back up towards her. He edged a little closer to her cross-legged position in the centre of the bed and watched her in concern. She moved her hand back from the screen and the contact was lost, the icon that had been guiding the search waiting patiently over the map.

"Tin?" Alan urged in a whisper.

TinTin frowned and shook her head slowly. "I've lost it."

"Huh?"

TinTin spun at him. "He's not there, okay?" She barked in frustrated anger.

"Okay." Alan raised his hands and backed off from her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." TinTin sighed and hung her head, lifting both hands up to rub her fingers into her temples. "It was so clear!" She husked. "I was so sure …"

Alan reached out a tentative hand and touched her shoulder. "It's okay … you did your best." He offered, hoping his sympathy was convincing enough to mask his disappointment.

TinTin gave a small smile and closed her eyes.

"Dad?" Alan began quietly into the comm. link. "They can come home. He's not there."

"What?"

"I know … Tin's not sure what happened …"

"Oh." Jeff's dismay was obvious.

Alan glanced at TinTin and saw the first tears falling. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and was unsure what he could say that might help so kept quiet.

"I was so sure …" TinTin repeated, her voice quiet and tired. She let out a heavy sigh and flopped backwards to lie on the bed.

Alan watched her in concern and decided to helpfully move the laptop away from her legs so she could stretch out. He closed the computer and set it on the floor, his eyes then resting on the neatly lined science books on the shelving unit opposite the bed. He then glanced around the room and smiled fondly. The place was so damned tidy. There was no way that it was normal to have a bedroom this organised and clean. He then realised that the lack of evidence that someone had lived here was exactly that; John lived on Five and most of his things were there. He hadn't lived on the island for a long time now. Strange then that his absence now seemed so completely alien. So wrong.

"He'll be back, you know."

Alan turned and saw TinTin watching him.

"We'll find him."

Alan shrugged a reply and looked down at his hands.

TinTin unfolded her legs and stretched out along the bed, frowning up at the ceiling. "We will find him … I know it."

Alan nodded and turned back to her, about to say something about wishing he had her confidence but pausing as he saw the pain that crossed her face. "You okay?" He urged quickly, sliding up the bed towards her.

"Hospital …" TinTin closed her eyes and her face crumpled with sudden anguish.

"What?" Alan gasped, "You need a doctor?"

TinTin's frown grew, "No." She covered Alan's hand with her own and shook her head slowly. "Not me."

"Huh?"

"I was - " She groaned softly, "Oh god, I was right!" She pulled her hand from his grasp and clutched at her head. "I … it's John."

Alan's heart sank.

"He's … he's in a hospital … he's in pain … or … someone …" She sighed in annoyance and thumped her fist down against the covers. "God, I wish I was stronger!"

Alan watched her in growing dread and summoned his father through the comm..

TinTin was suddenly quiet once more, her face distorted in confusion and the effort to try and reach whatever it was that she was sensing.

Alan heard his father hurrying along the hallway and looked up as he came skidding to a halt outside the partially open bedroom door. He was breathless as he stepped inside and frowned at Alan in confusion. Alan shook his head and turned his attention back to TinTin.

She was calmer now, her face peaceful. For a moment she seemed asleep and then suddenly she gasped and opened her eyes.

Alan recoiled back from her in shock, the dimness of the subdued bedroom making the sudden yellow glow of her eyes that much more intense and terrifying.

TinTin stared at the ceiling for a moment and then turned to Alan. She opened her mouth to speak and it was her voice but the words made no sense. Alan shook his head in confusion and she repeated the sentence a little slower. And now he recognised some of the sounds.

Jeff edged closer to the bed, his mouth hung open aghast as he saw TinTin's face and the now fading, ominous glow in her eyes. In an instant he was back in that awful moment a few months ago when his good friend had realised what was wrong with his daughter and had begged Brains to get it out of her. Glad that Kyrano had reluctantly agreed to wait with the others in the lounge, he began to wonder how he was going to tell his friend that it was perhaps worse than any of them had realised.

TinTin suddenly shuddered and the moment was gone. Her eyes darkened and she looked between the two men in confusion, tears gathering.

"It's okay." Alan urged quickly, helping her slowly sit up and pulling her into his arms.

"What - ? What just happened?" TinTin asked shakily, burying her face into his shoulder and beginning to cry gently.

"I don't know." Alan replied quietly, "It was pretty freaky, hon."

TinTin groaned and squeezed him tighter.

Alan turned and looked over at his father. "Do you know what she was saying?"

Jeff frowned, still trying to fathom what he had seen and trying to quieten the warning in his mind. Maybe Brains could speed up his research or do something in the interim. They had to try. They had to get rid of whatever part of that evil man that was doing this to her.

"Dad?" Alan urged.

Jeff was startled from his thoughts and met Alan's frightened eyes. He shrugged and shook his head slowly. "It was Russian, I think."


Scott ran through the pre return flight checks and frowned in annoyance. Penny was trying to look on the bright side and rambling on about them at least having had a chance to take One for a test run. Her chirpiness was bugging him and that wasn't helping his mood. And with several tonnes of powerful rocket in his hands, he needed to be calm and focused. So it was of no surprise to him that when she started trying to convince him that John was okay and would be located soon, he span at her and told her to shut the hell up.

But Penny was surprised. She recoiled into the chair and stared at him in horror, her offence then quickly becoming obvious hurt.

"Shit!" Scott groaned and slammed his fist down on the console beside him. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with gloved thumb and forefinger. "God, I'm sorry." He sighed and then lifted his head to look over at her. "I didn't mean it."

Penny nodded slowly and relaxed a little, a small smile finding it's way to her lips. "I know."

"Pen, I just - " Scott threw his hands into the air, unable to find the words.

Penny's smile grew. "My incessant joviality drives Parker up the wall sometimes. It's alright."

"No, it's not your fault." Scott countered, "I'm just …" he sighed loudly.

"Worried?"

Scott laughed suddenly, "And then some!"

"So am I." Penny agreed, "So are we all. Especially after all that you found out in Houston."

Scott watched the confusion fill her face and shook his head. They hadn't really spoken of it, for fear of causing another angry reaction from his father and also because then they could avoid having to acknowledge that any of it was really happening.

"You know, Scott, I - "

A chirping melody interrupted them and Scott groaned in annoyance. He fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. With a frown, he let the answer phone take a message and put the phone back into his pocket.

Penny was watching him in interest.

Scott shrugged, "Long story. You were saying …?"

"Well, only that - "

"Scott!"

Scott smiled an apology to her and glanced at the comm.. "Yeah, Virg?"

"Tune in to IWN." Virgil urged, "Now!"

Scott leaned forward and scanned the frequencies to find the digital broadcast. He saw the word "NEWSFLASH" highlighted at the bottom of the picture and adjusted the volume.

" … spokesperson for the Pentagon was unavailable to speak at this time but we have it from a reliable source that this information is correct. A group calling themselves 'Red Dawn' have claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt. We will bring you more news as soon as it comes in."

"Shit." Scott husked.

Penny stared at the screen in confusion.

"Virg?" Scott queried, "What the hell is going on?"

"Man!" Came Virgil's shocked reply, "Me and Gord were flicking channels and suddenly they're talking about us and your crash-landing in Washington."

"What?" Scott and Penny gasped together.

"I know! They said some crazy Russian guys were behind it all and they've now threatened more attacks." Virgil explained, "Seems they feel that the West is taking over the world and they're fighting back."

"Shit …" Scott shook his head in disbelief.

"It's crazy, man!" Virgil agreed, "And Dad wants you guys back here now!"

Scott acknowledged the order and spun One about, engaging the engines and ready to ascend and shoot back as quick as was currently possible. And then his phone rang again. Guessing Ruth had seen the same news report, he ignored the call and decided to ring her later.

But something changed his mind. Without really knowing why, and half-focused on the climb up through the clouds, Scott took out his phone and glanced at the screen. And his heart slammed into his chest. He flipped the phone open with a suddenly trembling hand and pressed it against his ear.

"John!"

Tbc …