WITH John still staying on Tracy Island, EOS had to forward the emergency call to the island from Thunderbird 5. John had offered to take the night duty watch and morning was breaking when the call came in. He sent out an alert to get the others out of bed and down as quickly as possible.
"Mr Petrovicth, your call has been received and we'll be on our way to you immediately," John said as he finished the conversation with the worried mining assistant.
Scott and Virgil were there almost immediately, still in their pyjamas.
"What do we have, John?" Scott asked.
"Distress call from the Sikorsky Mine in Russia," answered John. "There's been some kind of explosion that's brought half the mountain down."
A hologram image of the mountain and the underground mine complex appeared in front of them.
"Gee, that's bad!" observed Virgil. "How many are trapped underground?"
"Too many to count," John replied. "Got to be around two-hundred at least. Maybe more."
"We cannot wait," said Scott as he hurried over to the wall panel. "Virgil, follow me in Thunderbird 2. We're gonna need a Mole-Pod for this job."
Gordon then hurried in. "What's occurring?" he asked.
"Make that two I'd say," said Virgil. "Head to Thunderbird 2, Gordon. We have some miners to save."
"F-A-B!" answered Gordon as he hurried to his express elevator.
Scott headed down his elevator as well with both him and Gordon having their suits attached to their bodies via the robot arms. Virgil meanwhile went down his usual chute to Thunderbird 2. After reaching the ship he closed the hatch and selected Module 2 before lowering the main body down over the ship. Scott had by now reached Thunderbird 1 and after boarding his craft began to make its way up the diagonal tunnel towards the launch bay underneath the swimming pool which began to slide back as the rocket arrived on its conveyor. Gordon soon joined Virgil in the cockpit of Thunderbird 2 and the green leviathan was taxiing out of its hangar and along the runway to the launch pad once the palm trees had folded back to let it pass. Once it was on the ramp and had come to a halt, the wings were lowered and the ramp rose up with the blast shield lifting into place.
5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
The engines of Thunderbird 1 fired first lifting the sleek silver rocket out from its launch bay and it rose high into the sky. Thunderbird 2's own engines then fired and it too soared off the ramp and into the sky. The two ships were soon on course and heading for Russia.
"Thunderbirds are GO!" announced Scott.
Jeff, Alan, Kayo and Hayley all made it into the lounge just in time to see the two Thunderbirds flying away from the island.
"What's going on, John?" asked Jeff.
"Mine collapsed in Eastern Russia, Dad," said John. "Some kind of explosion. Around three-hundred are trapped underground. Scott, Virgil and Gordon are on their way."
Jeff looked at the hologram map. "Just the three of them?" he asked. "This seems like a mighty big task for just the three of them."
"Scott felt we needed to get there as fast as possible," John said. "He didn't feel that we could wait for anyone else."
Alan tutted. "That's typical of Scott," he remarked. "Always the impatient one."
Hayley was noticing a worried expression on Kayo's face. "Are you okay, Kayo?" she asked.
"John, did the miners say what caused the explosion?" Kayo asked.
"Negative," replied John. "They seem to think it took place around the main shaft/"
"Mining explosive detonated by accident?" suggested Jeff.
"I asked that but he said that was impossible," said John. "No explosive equipment was being moved at the time."
Kayo looked back at the hologram image of the mine. Then she hurried towards the seats that would take her down to the changing rooms.
"Kayo, where are you going?" Hayley asked.
"To join the others and keep an eye out," Kayo replied as she sat down. "This has sabotage written all over it." And before anybody could stop her, the chairs began to lower.
"Kayo, wait!" protested Jeff. But it was too late. Kayo was gone, and there was nothing they could do to stop her now.
Thunderbird 1 approached the coastline near to where the mountains were located. Scott soon caught sight of a plume of smoke in the distance marking where he needed to go. He reduced altitude and swooped down over the mountains before finding the large open area within them where the outside section of the mine was. As he got ready for landing, he could not have known that the McGinley brothers were still concealed on their vantage point watching its every move.
"Wow. What a beauty!" remarked Corey. "Do we really need to blow it up?"
"If it means getting revenge for Isabella's death, yes," replied Heath bluntly. "Nobody is gonna deny us what we're owed. Mark my words. Now come on. The sooner we get this bomb aboard that ship, the sooner we can get back into hiding and watch the fireworks."
Scott landed Thunderbird 1 and then called up Tracy Island. "Base from Thunderbird 1. Have arrived at the danger zone. It's really bad here. Worse than I thought."
"F-A-B, Scott," answered Jeff. "Thunderbird 2 isn't far behind you. Is that right, Virgil?"
"Yes, Dad," said Virgil, whose hologram had appeared beside Jeff's. "ETA is ten minutes."
"Good," said Jeff. "Oh, and boys. Be on your guard. kayo suspects this might be an act of sabotage."
"The Cabal?" asked Scott anxiously.
"Maybe. She didn't say," Jeff replied grimly. "But if it is…don't let your guards down."
"What if they are here?" asked Gordon.
"Then I'll make sure they don't interfere," Kayo said, joining the call.
Scott blinked when he saw Kayo was in her uniform. "You're flying out here?" he asked.
"You got a problem with that, Scott?"
"Er, no, I just thought-"
"I'm fine, Scott," Kayo said. "This has nothing to do with the McGinley brothers. I have nothing to be afraid of." She signed off.
Gordon and Virgil looked at each other. "Hard to think she's more afraid of two low-life criminals than she is of The Cabal," Gordon remarked.
Virgil bit his lip. "Yes, and that doesn't sit well with me," he replied.
Scott exited Thunderbird 1 to find Romanov and Petrovitch waiting for him. "Please, you have to hurry!" said Romanov. "My people cannot last forever!"
"Relax, sir, we'll get them out," Scott answered. "Thunderbird 2 will be here any moment. By the way, do you have security here?"
"Of course," said Romanov. "Why do you ask?"
"Could you have some watch over our ships whilst we work?" asked Scott. "Our head of security is on her way too. She thinks this might not have been an accident."
The two Russians exchanged worried looks. "Sabotage?" asked Petrovitch.
"Possibly," replied Scott. "You did tell my colleague that you weren't transporting explosives when it happened, right?"
Petrovitch nodded. "Da, that is correct," he answered.
"We'll give you security, friend," promised Romanov. "Just please get me people out of there."
Scott nodded in agreement.
Whilst the men had been talking, they had no idea that they were being watched. The McGinley brothers had activated the cloaking technology again and were using it to hide from view as well as using a large rock for cover just in case. It was their plan to plant Techno's Thunderpulse bomb inside Thunderbird 1. However they had quickly realised that there was a problem.
"Damn it," cursed Heath. "There's no access to that rocket!"
"Now what do we do?" asked Corey.
Just then a rumble of engines announced the arrival of Thunderbird 2 on the scene. Virgil activated the VTOL engines and brought his ship down to land close to where Thunderbird 1 was. As soon as they landed, Virgil and Gordon left their seats and hurried to the Module where they quickly assembled two Mole-Pods. The underground scan of the mine had shown at least one-hundred and seventy miners were trapped in one area of the mine with the rest in another section. To have used one Mole would have taken too long so Virgil decided it would be better if there were two. He set up one whilst Gordon set up the other. Then they climbed into their respective Moles and once Thunderbird 2's main body had lifted clear and the door ramp of Module 2 had been lowered into place, the two Pods drove out into the open, making those mine workers who hadn't been caught up in the disaster gape in awe.
The McGinley brothers also watched with interest as the two Mole-Pods trundled out of the module one after the other. Heath then glanced back at Thunderbird 2 and saw that the door to the module hadn't closed up. "Psst. Now's our chance!" he hissed to Corey. "Come on!"
Virgil drove his Mole-Pod over to the left side of the rockfall that had completely blocked off the main entrance to the mine. "I'll take this side, Gordon," he said. "You take the other."
"F-A-B, Virgil," acknowledged Gordon. "Ready to commence drilling."
"So am I," said Virgil.
"Good luck, guys," said Scott over the radio.
The trolleys holding the Moles tilted downwards. The drills began to spin and rocket motors in the rear of the pods pushed them down into the ground. The ground shook a little as the two tunnelling machines began to burrow their way into the ground. As the dust settled, they were gone.
As promised by Romanov, two security guards came over with one standing next to Thunderbird 1 and the other at the end of the ramp leading into Thunderbird 2's module. However had he positioned himself a few seconds earlier, he might have heard the sound of footsteps scurrying up into the module. The McGinley brothers had already managed to evade the rest of the workers as well as Scott thanks to their new cloaking tech and had got into the module itself whilst carrying the Thunderpulse device between them.
"Okay, now what?" asked Corey in a quiet voice. "Where do we put this?"
Heath noticed a small open area on the left side of the module. "Over there," he said. "It should blend in perfectly." They took the Thunderpulse over to the empty space at the side of the module and placed it down on the floor. Its orange colour didn't seem to detract from the other pieces of different coloured equipment that surrounded it.
"How long do we set it for?" asked Corey.
Heath adjusted the timer and set his digital watch to match. "One hour," he said. "They should be done by then and on their way. Come on, let's go."
They went to make a hasty exit only to see the security guard standing at the foot of the ramp. Heath took hold of Corey's hand and together they quietly climbed down the side of the ramp before scurrying away as quickly as they could - with nobody having the remotest idea that they had even been there.
The miners trapped below ground were rather worried when they heard rumbling sounds coming from above. They thought at first that the caverns and tunnels were going to collapse on top of them. But then a section of the cavern side burst open as the drill nose of one of the Mole-Pods emerged. At first they were confused until Virgil opened the top and used his helmet's voice amplifier and translator to call out to them. "Davayte, rebyata. Podpisyvaytes' na menya! (Come on, guys. Follow me!)" He then threw the Mole-Pod into reverse and disappeared back up the tunnel he'd made whilst the large group of now relieved miners began to form an orderly line and began to make their way up the tunnel after the Mole. Virgil had made sure not to make his tunnel too steep so that it would have been impossible for them to climb it.
Gordon had done the same with his tunnel and soon reached his group of miners as well. "Virgil from Gordon. I've made it to the miners," Gordon said. "Heading back up to the surface now. They're following."
"F-A-B, Gordon," said Virgil. "Did you get that, Scott?"
"F-A-B," said Scott. "Good job, guys."
Jeff then called in. "Any sign of trouble, Scott?"
"That's a big negative, Dad," answered Scott. "The miners are on their way back to the surface. Everything's A-Okay."
"Excellent," said Jeff. "Let's hope whoever is behind this is long gone by now."
"Aww, really?" grumbled Kayo. "I hope they are. I'm itching to blast someone with my sonic cannon. Especially if it's The Cabal."
"If it is The Cabal I'm pretty sure they'd have made their move by now," said John.
"All the same," Jeff finished. "Keep your guards up."
It took a good forty minutes for all of the miners to emerge from the tunnels created by the two Moles and for each and every one of them to be accounted for. All the while, the clock on the Thunderpulse bomb continued to countdown.
Heath and Corey had gone back to the spot where they'd been hiding out to wait for International Rescue to arrive. However, the confidence of Heath and the uncertainty that Corey faced had been replaced by a new feeling - worry. As Heath checked his watch, he realised there was only ten minutes left before the bomb was going to go off, and still the Thunderbird ships hadn't taken off.
Eventually Corey decided he couldn't stand it any longer. "Hey, bro. How much of a blast radius did the techno guy say that bomb has?"
"Something like five miles I think," replied Heath.
"Well I don't know about you, mate, but I think we should get the hell outta here!" said Corey. "I don't wanna be around when that thing goes off."
Heath gritted his teeth. He was desperate to see the explosion that would wipe out members of the IR team and in doing so would get his revenge against Kayo. But at the same time, he realised that staying put would likely result in his own death as well. "Yeah…you're right, Cor. Come on, let's go."
The two brothers hurried to the All-Terrain Tracked Jeep that The Hood had supplied for them and started to make their escape away from the scene. Had they decided to stay a few seconds longer they would have seen the Mole-Pods being reloaded into the module ready for lift-off and the journey back to base.
Scott returned to Thunderbird 1 and after thanking the guard for his help, climbed into his seat which winched him up into the ship. He was about to pull back the controls to fire the thrusters when a thought struck him. Not that he believed anyone could have gotten aboard Thunderbird 1 whilst it had been stationary, he felt it would be best to double-check just to make sure. He took out an explosives locator from his toolbelt and made a quick survey of the interior of his ship. The result came back negative and he returned to his seat. "Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 1. Am about to lift off for home. Have run a security check and have found nothing. Might I suggest you do the same?"
"Good idea, Scott," replied Virgil. "Gordon's checking the equipment is all secure. I'll get him to have a look around after we take off."
"F-A-B," said Scott as he pulled back on the controls. "See you back home." Thunderbird 1 lifted off from the ground, climbed to clear the mountains and turned before heading back out across the sea.
Virgil took his seat at the controls of Thunderbird 2. He closed up the door of Module 2 and lowered the main body down before locking it into place with the clamps. He then fired up the VTOL jets again before taking off to follow Thunderbird 1.
The McGinley brothers were making their way along a coast road heading south. They were startled by a pair of loud whooshes as Thunderbird 1 first flew over them followed shortly after by Thunderbird 2.
Corey, who was driving the jeep, slammed on the brakes. "They're leaving!" he said. "How long do they have?"
Heath checked his watch again. His face then broke into a sinister grin. "Just over a minute to go," he said as he grabbed a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment. "Keep us here, Cor. I'm gonna enjoy this!"
Gordon was busy checking the inside of the module for anything out of the ordinary. So far everything seemed to be as it should be.
"How's it looking, Gordon?" Virgil asked over the radio.
"All looks good, Virgil," Gordon replied. "Just checking the portside of the module now and-" He broke off as the device he was using suddenly let out an unsettling beep and a red light flashed.
"What is it?" Virgil asked.
"One moment," Gordon said as he approached the bright orange box that was causing the device to go off. "What's this thing?" he asked out loud. He bent down and lifted the lid to see what was inside. He then let out a cry of horror, almost cartwheeled head over heels and began sprinting as fast as he could, almost tripping over his own feet twice before scrambling up the ladder to the doorway that connected between the module and the main body of Thunderbird 2.
"Gordon, what's the matter?" Virgil asked as he heard Gordon's frantic cry and big gasps of breath over the radio. "Gordon, ANSWER ME!"
"VIRGIL, DROP IT!" Gordon screamed into his radio as he dived out of the module. "DROP THE MODULE!"
Confused, but realising that Gordon wasn't fooling around, Virgil complied and pulled back the lever that released the docking clamps. The module dropped out from within the main body and plummeted towards the ocean below. It was not a moment too soon. No sooner had it hit the surface of the water when the Thunderpulse detonated.
Thunderbird 1 met up with Thunderbird Shadow a few miles further ahead of Thunderbird 2.
"Fancy seeing you here," Scott joked.
Kayo rolled her eyes and gave a small smile. "So much for assisting you boys and-" She broke off as a bright blinding white light suddenly filled the sky accompanied by the biggest, most powerful BANG they'd ever heard. Seconds later a shockwave hit both ships and sent them spiralling out of control towards the ocean.
"WOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGH!" Kayo and Scott yelled in unison as they battled to regain control of their ships. They managed it with inches to spare. Kayo recovered first and darted back up to the height they'd been at before with Scott following seconds later. They rejoined each other and ran instrument checks.
"Scott? Kayo?" Jeff's frantic voice came over the radios of the two ships. "What's going on?"
"I have no idea, Dad," replied Scott shakily. "Kayo, any idea?"
"There was some kind of bright white light before the shockwave hit," Kayo answered. "It came from a few miles behind you, Scott."
Just then Brains butted in with some very worrying news. "Erm, g-g-guys?" he said. His stammer had become worse than normal. "W-We've g-got ourselves a m-major p-problem."
"What is it, Brains?" asked Jeff, noticing how pale Brains had gone.
Brains looked at him, a most worried look across his face unlike anything Jeff had ever seen before. "I-I am n-not getting a r-reading from T-Thunderbird 2."
A shocked silence fell across the lounge as well as Thunderbirds 1 and Shadow.
John checked the secondary screen on the desk. "Oh, my God…" he said, going as pale as Brains. "He's right. There's no signal coming from Thunderbird 2!"
Hayley went even whiter as her hands flew over her mouth. "V-Virgil?!" she cried in horror.
Jeff punched the communication button on the desk. "Thunderbird 2 from base! Thunderbird 2 from base! Virgil? Gordon? Can you hear me?"
They waited for a response. But none came.
Hayley ran over to the table. "Virgil?!" she cried out, panic flooding through her veins. "VIRGIL?! VIRGIL, ANSWER ME!" She was shaking very hard indeed that Grandma and Alan had to grab her to stop her from falling over.
Scott tried as well. "Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2. Virgil, are you there? Gordon? Acknowledge!"
There was still no reply.
Jeff spoke again. "Scott, Kayo - find Thunderbird 2. NOW!" he ordered.
Scott and Kayo pushed the throttles of both their ships up to full power before Jeff had even finished his sentence and they rocketed forwards heading towards where the explosion had occurred.
The McGinley brothers didn't need binoculars to be able to witness the explosion for the bright white light that it had created had been seen for several miles whilst the shockwave only just fell short of hitting the coastline. Corey was horror-struck by the realisation of what had happened, but Heath was beyond pleased. "HELL YEAH!" he bellowed triumphantly. "WE DID IT, COR! WE RUDDY DID! ISABELLA, YOU ARE AVENGED!" He jumped up and down in the back of the jeep whooping with delight whilst Corey just sat there, feeling rather remorseful, but he tried hard not to let his brother notice. Eventually Heath climbed back into his seat. "Beers are on me, Cor!" he said. "Now let's get to where our ride is waiting for us. Let's GO!"
Corey said nothing. He just put the jeep into gear and began to drive on.
Thunderbirds 1 and Shadow soon reached where the instruments told them the epicentre of the explosion had taken place. And what they saw made them gasp in pure horror.
"No…!" Scott cried, his voice breaking.
Kayo was too shocked to even say anything.
"What do you see?" Jeff asked sharply, asking the question on everybody's minds.
Scott swallowed his horror, but his voice sounded really off as he answered. "Dad…there's wreckage in the water. And its green!"
Hayley collapsed onto the floor and burst into tears. "NOOOO!" she wailed.
Grandma let out a gasp even harder than anyone else. Alan, Brains, John and Jeff all went as white as sheets.
"No…" Alan said, dumbstruck. "It can't be."
"Scott…" Jeff said, his own voice shaking. "Can you…can you confirm that it's Thunderbird 2?"
"Yes…" Scott answered after a few seconds. "I can see what looks like part of the module door."
"What of the m-main body, Scott?" asked Brains. "Do you see any p-part of that?"
Scott surveyed the scene from Thunderbird 1 in a hover position whilst Kayo did loops around the outside with Thunderbird Shadow. They looked at what wreckage they could see, but it was hard to tell what was what.
"I'm sorry, Brains," answered Scott. "I honestly can't tell."
Everybody felt ripped apart from the inside. Thunderbird 2 was gone - and that meant Gordon and Virgil were likely gone as well.
"Can you search the area?" John asked. "They might be floating nearby if they somehow managed to escape before the blast."
But Scott shook his head. "John, be real," he said miserably. "Nothing could have survived a blast that big."
Silence across the whole of the International Rescue team except for the sobbing coming from both Hayley and Grandma, the latter of which had hurried out of the lounge, unable to listen to anything that was being said.
Heartbroken for the loss of her adoptive brothers, Kayo looked away from the floating wreckage and out across the Pacific. And it was then that something caught her eye. Something large appeared to be sitting on the surface about two miles away. She tried squinting for a better look but couldn't quite make out what it was. She altered Thunderbird Shadow's course slightly in hopes of getting a better look. Then as she approached, the object became clearer and she let out a gasp of surprise. "SCOTT! OVER HERE, QUICK!"
Everyone's heart leapt at the sound of Kayo's voice. Scott looked round to the right to see Thunderbird Shadow flying away. He noted that Kayo's voice didn't sound alarmed, but somewhat excitable. He turned his ship and began to follow. Then he too let out a gasp of surprise. "What?! HOW?!"
"What is it, Scott?" Jeff asked as everyone else leant forward to listen. Even Hayley sat herself up off the floor.
"Take a look!" said Scott and he patched through Thunderbird 1's forward-facing camera feed to the projector in the table.
Everyone stared in disbelief. There was Thunderbird Shadow circling above a large green object that was floating on the surface of the water.
"IT'S THUNDERBIRD 2!" exclaimed John.
The distraught feelings they'd all had were initially replaced by relief. But then Jeff brought them back down to earth by saying. "Hold up, everyone. All we've established is that somehow Thunderbird 2 has managed to survive that blast. I won't be relaxed until I know how Virgil and Gordon are."
Scott was quick to try and make contact as he brought Thunderbird 1 into hover above the downed goliath. "Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 1. Virgil? Gordon? Are you guys okay?"
Everyone waited anxiously. But still no response came from Thunderbird 2.
"Virgil, answer, please!" Hayley whimpered.
Scott made a decision and he grabbed his helmet. "Kayo, keep a lookout," he said. "I'm going down to find them."
"F-A-B," acknowledged Kayo. "Be careful, Scott."
Scott used his jetpack to drop down onto the top of Thunderbird 2's forward section. He hurried over to the hatch and used the manual override lever like Alan and Kayo had had to use to gain access to Thunderbird 3 after it had been stolen by Havoc to open it. He then dropped down inside before the hatch automatically closed itself again. He looked around the cockpit and was dismayed to find that it was empty. "VIRGIL?!" he called out. "GORDON?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"SCOTT?!" a voice called from down the corridor leading out of the cockpit. Scott then saw that the door was open and he sprinted through. He almost leapt down two flights of stairs before finding Virgil trying to move an unconscious Gordon up the stairs.
"My God!" exclaimed Scott, rushing forwards to help. He took hold of Gordon's left arm and slung it over his shoulder whilst Virgil had the other. As they clambered up the stairs, Scott noticed both had major bruises on their heads and Virgil appeared to be limping slightly. "You're hurt," Scott said.
"I'm fine," Virgil said grimly. "Just help me get Gordon to the cockpit."
The two eldest brothers huffed and puffed their way up to the cockpit and laid Gordon out on a medical stretcher. For both of them this brought back bad memories of the time when they'd had to rescue Gordon from the wreckage of the previous Thunderbird 4 after it had been destroyed by The Chaos Crew. however to their relief, no sooner had they begun to run a medical scan when Gordon began to regain consciousness.
"Uhhhhhhh, is it Christmas already?" Gordon asked. "Am sure I can hear bells ringing."
Virgil grabbed his brother and held him tightly with tears of joy. Then Scott did the same before giving Virgil one as well. Then Scott's radio beeped with an impatient Jeff on the end. "Scott, report!"
Scott answered. "Dad, it's okay. I've found them. They're alive."
Now the massive gasps of relief could be let out by everyone. Hayley collapsed onto her back and began to cry again, this time with relief.
Jeff fell back into his chair whilst John gripped his arm tightly and Alan ran off to tell Grandma the good news.
Virgil then spoke up. "Hey, guys. Sorry for the silence. I think the crash knocked out our radios."
"Virgil!" squeaked Hayley running to the desk. "Oh, my God. I thought you were dead!"
Virgil looked at his girl's holographic face and reached out to touch it. Hayley saw this and tried to do the same.
"Are you okay, son?" Jeff asked.
"I think so, Dad," answered Virgil. "And before anybody asks, no I don't have a clue what's happened. Gordon was doing a security check in the module and he must have found something because he then started shouting at me to drop the module. I did so and seconds later there was this almighty bang and everything went white then black. I must have been knocked out for a moment because the next thing I remember is we're sinking into the depths of the ocean. I managed to activate the emergency airbags and then I hurried off to find Gordon dinged up at the bottom of the stairs."
"How is he?" asked John.
Virgil and Scott looked at Gordon who was rubbing his head.
"He's taken a bump and looks rather dazed but the medical scan shows nothing serious," said Scott.
"I'm glad to hear it," said Jeff. "Now, I'm very sorry to have to be like this, boys. But I'm afraid I'm going to get angry now. HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?! I TOLD YOU BOYS TO BE ON YOUR GUARDS!"
"I got the security from the mine to guard the ships whilst we worked, Dad," Scott said.
"Well obviously that wasn't enough, Scott!" snapped Jeff. "Virgil and Gordon were almost killed!"
"Dad," John interrupted. "Shouldn't we be asking who could have pulled this off rather than how?"
Kayo gritted her teeth. "We don't need to figure that out, John," she said. "I think it's pretty obvious who is responsible. The Cabal!"
"Hate to say it, Dad, but I fully agree," said Scott.
"The White Ghost must have snuck in and planted it in stealth-form without anybody knowing," Virgil added.
"M-Meaning I have a lot of work to do to try and make our ships phase-proof somehow," said Brains. "And I w-wouldn't even know where to begin with that."
Alan, who had returned with a relieved Grandma then had an idea. "Would the module's security cameras pick up the culprit?" he asked. "That's provided we can access the footage before the module was destroyed?"
Brains went swiftly to work. "Yes, Alan! G-Good thinking!" he said. He began typing away at a hologram keyboard at the table. Soon he'd found the camera footage linked to all the cameras inside the module and they all began to watch as the footage was reversed from the point the explosion happened.
Hayley however was confused. "But if the culprits are in stealth-mode won't they remain invisible?"
"To the naked eye, Hayley," John said. "But Brains has developed a special kind of camera that can make stealth technology useless. Unless of course The Hood or Techno have managed to find a way to upgrade it."
"They h-haven't," said Brains. "Look!"
Everyone looked at the screens and saw two unfamiliar figures moving about inside the module before placing the orange box containing the Thunderpulse bomb in a small open section before running out. A check of the outside cameras showed that there had indeed been someone stationed on guard outside and the culprits had somehow managed to get out without even being seen.
"They must have had cloaking tech," said John. "No way would they have not been seen otherwise."
"Yeah, but who the heck are they?" asked Alan. "I don't recognise them."
"Can't say I do either," said Scott. "Kayo?"
Kayo didn't respond, and when everyone looked at her hologram they saw she'd gone white.
"Kayo, what's wrong?" asked Hayley.
"Are…you…KIDDING ME?!" Kayo screeched, taking everyone by surprise. "HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET OUT OF PRISON?!"
"You know these monsters, Kayo?" asked Jeff.
"Damn right I do!" snapped Kayo. "Those are the two brothers of the girl I accidentally killed!"
Everyone looked at each other, stunned. Jeff then remembered what he'd said to Kayo about relaxing as the brothers wouldn't know she was part of International Rescue. Now it was revealed that they had. "My God…" he said before turning angry again. "Someone get me Colonel Casey, NOW!"
Kayo also wasn't hanging around as Scott and Virgil noticed Thunderbird Shadow suddenly flying away at high speed.
"Kayo, where are you going?" asked Scott.
"To hunt them down and make them pay for this!" Kayo said and before anyone could protest she cut the radio link.
Scott swore under his breath and pushed the button to open the hatch.
"Scott!" Jeff barked over the radio.
"I know, Dad," replied Scott as he flew back to Thunderbird 1. "I'll stop her before she finds them."
"No….you'll help her find them," said Jeff. "And then make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Got it?"
"F-A-B," said Scott. "Only I can't promise I won't do anything after what they've done." He turned his ship around and set off after Thunderbird Shadow.
Virgil watched them go and then turned to Gordon who was trying to sit up. "Easy, Gordo. You got hit hard."
"I'll be okay," answered Gordon who'd regained most of his senses. "Could use an aspirin if you have one though."
Virgil broke a smile. "Sure," he said. "Then whilst you rest I'll get us up and running again."
Kayo approached the coastline of Eastern Russia. She knew that the brothers were likely still in the area. The hard part was to locate them. "Thunderbird Shadow to Thunderbird 5. EOS, are you there?"
"Hello, Kayo," answered EOS. "What can I help you with?"
"I need you to find two lowlife scumbags for me via global facial recognition scan," said Kayo. "Corey and Heath McGinley."
EOS hesitated before answering. "John's advised me against doing this sort of thing as its a breach of privacy-"
"EOS, THEY PLANTED A BOMB ON THUNDERBIRD 2 AND NEARLY KILLED GORDON AND VIRGIL!" Kayo shouted. "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT PEOPLE'S PRIVACY RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh…right…" EOS said. "In that case they must be found. Stand-by." There were a few moments of silence whilst she ran a full scan of the coastline in front of Thunderbird Shadow. "Got them!" she said. "I am sending their location to you."
Kayo watched her screen as two dots appeared showing the location of the brothers. "Thanks, EOS," she said. "Now it's time for some payback!"
The McGinley brothers continued along the coast road, thinking they were in the clear. They had meant to send a signal to The Cabal to get them to come and extract them before anyone could find them. But Heath was having such a good time celebrating and singing that he'd forgotten. He'd forced Corey into singing with him. "Waltzing Matilda! Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Mat-"
BOOM! A projectile came from the left and slammed into the cliff causing an explosion and ripping large chunks out causing a landslide that fell across the jeep's path.
"WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the brothers cried in terror as Corey slammed on the brakes. They skidded to a stop just as the landslide subsided. Once the dust cleared and the two men had stopped choking they looked to find that the road was completely blocked. There was no way to get past.
"Goddamnit!" cursed Heath. "We were going so nicely too."
THUD! Something blue dropped down from above landed on the bonnet of the jeep. The two men yelped in surprise, then stared in shock at the sight of a beyond furious Kayo glaring at them.
"YOU?!" exclaimed Heath and he tried to grab his gun.
Kayo let out a roar and lunged forwards. She grabbed Heath and literally threw him out of the cab of the jeep for he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He yelled as he was thrown into the rocks before landing painfully on the road. Kayo jumped after him and began punching him over and over.
"STOP! STOP!" pleaded Corey as he tried to pull Kayo off.
"GET OFF!" bellowed Kayo, turning briefly and punching him hard in the face knocking him out.
The distraction allowed Heath to make a brief comeback. He jumped up, grabbed Kayo and managed to throw her aside. He then took out a knife and stabbed it into her left arm. Kayo screamed in pain.
"I told you I'd kill you," Heath snarled. "But your stupid uncle had other ideas."
Kayo's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the word 'uncle'.
"He told us to kill your brothers so that you would know how it felt to lose someone precious to you! How does it feel, Kayo Kyrano?"
"GET OFF OF HER!"
Heath turned his head just in time to see Scott's right foot slam into his face, shattering his nose and causing him to fall to the floor, crying out in agony.
Scott landed and then went to check on Kayo. "Kayo?"
Kayo winched and clutched her arm as she was helped up. "Ouch!" she said. "I thought these suits were meant to be weapon-proof?"
"Never mind that," Scott said. "He didn't get your chest and that's what matters."
Heath let out a pained groan and tried to get up but found he was too weak to do so.
"Stay down, McGinley," warned Scott. "It's over."
Heath looked up at them both and his face broke into a cruel grin as he began to laugh. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I got my revenge even if it's not what I would have originally wanted. We killed some of your brothers, Kyrano. How does that feel, huh? Hurts, doesn't it? I saw the rage in your eyes when you turned up. Now you know how I felt when you killed my sister!"
Kayo stepped forwards and bent down with her helmet close to his face. "Did you know about your sister's heart condition?" she asked.
Heath's evil expression faded and one of confusion appeared instead. "What?"
"I thought not," Kayo replied. "Neither did I. Our tasers are meant to take people down without causing them harm. I had no intention of killing your sister even though she tried to kill one of my colleagues."
Heath scoffed and spat some blood out of his mouth onto the roadway. "Say what you like," he sneered angrily. "It doesn't change the fact that you did. And now you feel the same way that we did, consider us even."
Scott then spoke up. "Yeah…about that." He moved aside and Kayo did the same to reveal a large green transporter aircraft approaching. It was Thunderbird 2 - minus its module of course.
Heath's smug expression vanished when he saw the green goliath.
Scott tapped his radio. "Good to see you, Thunderbird 2," he said. "Have you got any words for your attempted murderers?"
Holograms of Virgil and Gordon appeared from Scott's wrist controller.
"Hey there, McGinley," said Gordon. "Surprised to see us?"
"Hope you've got some spare pocket money so you can pay for us to get a new module built?" added Virgil.
Heath began to shake with fury and swear continuously under his breath, utterly furious at the realisation that he hadn't gotten his revenge after all.
The team waiting with the two beaten brothers until the GDF could arrive and take them back into custody before returning to Tracy Island. Having lost its module, Thunderbird 2 was initially unable to land until Alan drove Module 1 out of the hangar with a spare Pod so it could use it to taxi back into the hangar. Grandma gave Gordon a proper examination whilst Hayley used what medical skills she'd leant to examine Virgil. Incredibly, neither were seriously hurt and Virgil's limp turned out to be nothing but a bruised ankle. Grandma said whilst he was to take it easy, he'd still be able to fly Thunderbird 2, provided that he didn't use his normal launch route.
The Tracy family along with Brains, Kayo and Hayley sat around in the lounge whilst they listened to a rather depressed Colonel Casey. She confessed that she was fully aware that the brothers had somehow managed to escape from The Vault and that she'd not told them about it. They were all pretty angry by that, however once she had given a reason why saying she didn't want to be anymore stressed out they relinquished it.
"I'm so sorry about all this," Colonel Casey said. "Add it to the list of mistakes I've made in recent months."
"Oh, Martha, stop it," said Jeff. "Whilst I'm not at all happy about this, I cannot hold you responsible for it. None of us can."
"At least we know now how they managed to escape," said Scott.
"I knew it had to be The Cabal behind the attack," said Kayo. "However, there's one major question that we still need answering. How the hell did The Hood know about the incident on the boat with their sister?"
"That Kayo is what I AM going to find out," said Colonel Casey. "The Hood must still have a spy in the GDF. And whoever it is…this time I WILL flush them out. That is a promise."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Where are the brothers now?" asked Alan.
"They've been taken to Aquatraz," said Colonel Casey. "And we're not even going to bother with a trial. The evidence against them is pretty concrete."
"Glad to hear it," said Jeff. He then chuckled. "Bet The Hood's regretting his decision to use them."
Techno, Silver Swan and The White Ghost entered the main room of their secret hideout where The Hood was sitting at his control desk.
"Well?"
"They failed," said Techno.
"They never made contact after their mission," said Silver Swan.
"And all the Tracy brothers are still alive," finished The White Ghost. "Only the container part of Thunderbird 2 got destroyed."
The Hood turned in his chair to face them, they were surprised to see he wasn't angry. "Naturally they would fail," he said. "I expected nothing less from those two."
"Then why did you even have them brought to you?" asked Silver Swan.
"I enjoy playing games, Swan," chuckled The Hood. "This little episode must surely have gotten Kayo and the Tracy's rather infuriated. But there is one good thing we can take out of this. Techno's Thunderpulse is a success."
"You suspected it wouldn't?" growled Techno.
The Hood chuckled again. "Of course not, Techno, my boy," he said. "Now we know that we have a weapon that can destroy a Thunderbird, we know now that we can build one strong enough that will wipe Tracy Island and International Rescue off the face of the earth!" He began to laugh evilly whilst the others joined in.
"What about the McGinley brothers, boss?" asked The White Ghost. "One of them did manage to injure Kayo very slightly."
"Just say the word and we'll end their miserable little lives for you," added Silver Swan.
The Hood thought as he considered the matter for a moment. "No," he said eventually. "No, I don't think that will be necessary."
The other villains were surprised. "Really?" asked The White Ghost.
"Really, Ghost," said The Hood as he went to sit down again. "You remember what I said to them. They won't have forgotten that. Now they'll be spending the rest of their lives living in fear that we could come and end them at any second. And I find that much more entertaining." He began to cackle again.
True to The Hood's words, several hundred miles away from their concealed hideout at the bottom of the Pacific lay the underwater prison of Aquatraz, and in one of the sunken ships that had been made into cell blocks were two containment cells, each containing one of the McGinley brothers, both quivering in fear, knowing that every breath they took could very be their last.