"MAN, this baby will fetch us a few bucks, huh, Ox?"
"Yeah, Dan. Scrap or otherwise."
"Nah, she'll be for scrap. After a crash like that, she won't fly again."
"We ain't gonna sell her, boys. We'll have her fixed up, and then she'll be ours to use for our jobs. With this baby fully weaponized, The Enforcers will be unstoppable."
Scott had originally thought he was dreaming when he'd heard the voices, but upon hearing the word 'weaponized', his eyes snapped open. He looked over to see three men standing next to the Thunderbird 1. One was wearing a cowboy-like outfit with a brown coat and a white sheriff's hat. The middle one was very large and muscular with a big moustache. The third was the shortest with bushy black hair and a beard. If any of them had seen Scott they'd either thought he was dead or had simply not bothered to check. He let out a groan and began to pick himself up off the ground.
The three men heard Scott's groans and turned in surprise to look at him. "Hey, the guy's alive!" said the short one.
The man with the hat, who had a very strong Texan accent eyed Scott with caution but tried to look as friendly as possible. "Hey, bud. Long night?"
"Er, yeah, you could say that," answered Scott. "Don't suppose you guys can tell me where I am?"
"The good ol' Mississippi region," said the man in the hat. "Name's Montana. Big guy's Ox. And Mr. Bounce at the end is Fancy Dan." The short man did a few fast Martial Art moves which impressed Scott.
"Guessing those are codenames?" asked Scott.
"Yes," said Montana. "Nearest town is fifty miles that way." He pointed.
"Thanks, but the rest of my team will be looking for me," said Scott. "It's best I stay with my ship."
"Not yours anymore," said Ox. "She's ours now."
Scott stared. "Excuse me?" he said. "Says who?"
"Says we," said Fancy Dan. "You see, bud. We're not rangers. We're Enforcers. We're for hire and do dirty jobs for dirty people."
Scott narrowed his eyes. "So I did hear you right," he said. "Well you're not taking my ship."
The three men didn't seem worried by Scott's words. They simply laughed.
"Listen, horse," said Montana. "You don't look too good. Neither does your bird for that matter. Clearly she's no good for you anymore. Why not give her to someone who'll make much better use of her?"
"No!" said Scott firmly. "Thunderbirds are not fighting ships. You won't turn Thunderbird 1 into a weapon."
"We'll rename her," promised Fancy Dan. "We wouldn't want to make International Rescue look bad."
"You can't fool me," said Scott. "The answer is NO!"
Silence fell as the three men and Scott stared hard at each other.
Eventually Montana broke the silence. "It would seem our friend here needs a little persuading," he said. "Ox, would you care to make him change his mind?"
Ox sniggered and cracked his knuckles before advancing on Scott. "Come here, little man," he said. "Let me give you a bear-hug."
Scott backed away. "No, thank you!" he said defiantly before bumping back into the tree he'd been sleeping against. He tried to decide which way to run but saw that Fancy Dan and Montana were blocking off any escape route he may have had. He could do nothing but watch in fear as Ox advanced with his big hands towards him.
BANG! A gunshot rang out and something grazed Ox's right shoulder causing him to cry out in pain. It then ricocheted off the tree truck and off Thunderbird 1's hull before disappearing. As Ox fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder, he then looked round behind him whilst Montana, Fancy Dan and Scott also looked to see who'd fired the shot.
Scott blinked in surprise. About thirty metres away stood a man around the same height as Fancy Dan. He had bright orange hair and a beard, was wearing short-rimmed glasses, a straw hat, a white checkered shirt and blue jeans. He was also holding a shot-gun in his right hand.
"Ah, crud! It's the old guy!" cried Fancy Dan whilst Montana seethed with fury.
The man then spoke in a very strong hillbilly accent. "You boys better get away from the young master and his bird."
"Get outta here, Tuttle!" barked Montana. "This doesn't concern you!"
"Like hell it don't!" the man snapped back. "This boy is under my protection! And I've told you three before that you ain't welcome around here. Scram!"
"No. Not this time," snarled Montana. "Get 'im, boys!"
Fancy Dan began to run towards the man. He began making jumps and backflips in what he thought would throw off his aim if he tried to shoot. However the man had other ideas. He pulled something out from behind his back and threw it in the direction of the martial-artist. Scott couldn't tell what it was, but whatever it was was deadly for it hit the ground just short of where Fancy Dan was and then detonated.
"AAAGH!" shrieked Fancy Dan as the blast, which wasn't huge but enough to be forceful, threw him off his run and caused him to fall flat on his face instead.
Ox bellowed in rage at seeing his friend get knocked down. Despite the pain in his right shoulder, he jumped to his feet and began to charge like a bull at a red cape towards the man. The man fired his gun again, this time at a tree branch that was above where Ox was running. The branch fell down and landed on top of the enforcer. He cried out again as the branch knocked him to the ground and then pinned him down.
Montana was beyond furious. He pulled out his cowboy lasso and began spinning it above his head. "GOD DANG YOU!" he bellowed at the man as he started to run towards him. "YOU'RE MAKING MY BOYS LOOK BAD! I CAN'T HAVE THAT!" He then went to throw the lasso only to feel something grab him from behind. It was Scott who'd just launched his grapple gun at him. Scott yanked back on the cable pulling Montana off balance and he fell on his back whilst the lasso flopped like spaghetti all over him.
The man with the big gun walked forwards. "Say you boys look hungry," he said. He then pulled out a small metal tin from behind his back. "Want some of my Ma's beans?"
Fancy Dan, who'd gotten his feet first, looked somewhat frightened by this offer. "N-N-No, thanks!" he stammered before running away towards the trees on the opposite side.
Ox managed to gain enough strength to pull himself out from under the tree branch and then he too ran off after his friend. This enraged Montana even more. "GET BACK HERE YOU DANG COWARDS!" he roared but they paid no attention. He then untangled himself from his lasso and picked himself up. He wanted to try and make an attack on the man but realised he was outnumbered now that Scott had joined the fight. "You," he said, pointing a shaking finger at the man with the gun. "You're a dead man."
The man wasn't remotely phased by this threat. "I told you…SCRAM!" He then fired his gun at the man's feet causing him to jump and then sprint off after Ox and Fancy Dan, shouting foul words as he went.
Scott looked at the man. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or afraid as the man approached him. Sure he'd said he was there to protect Scott, but his methods seemed a bit extreme. "Er…thanks," Scott said.
"Don't mention it, son," the man replied. "Name's Tuttle. Jeremiah Tuttle. You look a mess. Come back to my house and we'll get you cleaned up and fed."
"Thanks, but, what about Thunderbird 1?" Scott asked. "I can't just leave her here."
Jeremiah walked up to Thunderbird 1 and placed a small black box on the hull. He touched it and a blue light was seen covering the entire ship before disappearing. "That'll keep her safe until your Dad and brothers can get here to take you home."
"You know my Dad?!" asked Scott.
"I sure do," replied Jeremiah. "Which reminds me." He took out what Scott originally thought was a mobile phone but got one heck of a shock when Jeremiah spoke into it. "This is Agent 47 to International Rescue."
Scott's jaw nearly hit the floor. This guy was an International Rescue agent.
For the rest of the Tracy family, the night had turned into one of pure frustration. A fierce tropical storm had suddenly come out of nowhere and engulfed the island making it too risky for Thunderbirds 2 and Shadow to even attempt a launch. It was starting to improve but Jeff still felt it was too risky as he was not prepared to lose anyone in a crash on home soil. Also up until now they'd had no reports regarding Scott from any of the GDF Patrols and FAB1 had still yet to reach the US. It had been a long night and despite them trying to sleep so they could save their energy for the upcoming mission, none of them, not even Jeff or Grandma had been able to. Now they all knew how Scott had felt after having very little sleep.
Kayo looked out of the window as the storm began to ease off. "Looks like the rain might be clearing," she said to Jeff.
"Yes, but the wind's still blowing," Jeff replied. "And that's what's going to prevent us from launching."
Just then a beeping sound made them jump.
"Ugh, another negative call no doubt," said Kayo unhappily.
Jeff pressed the button to take the call. "International Rescue. Jeff Tracy speaking."
A hologram of Jeremiah appeared on the desk. "Long time, no speak, Mr Tracy, sir."
Jeff was surprised. "Jeremiah! Yes, it has. What can I do for you?"
"I have good news, Jeff," smiled Jeremiah. "I found your boy and his bird."
Jeff and Kayo's mouths fell open. "You've WHAT?!" they exclaimed together.
Jeremiah then brought Scott into the hologram image. "Hey, Dad. Kayo."
"SCOTT!" squeaked Kayo excitedly. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"Son, are you okay?" asked Jeff, relief flooding through his veins like a waterfall.
"I think so, Dad," said Scott. "But Thunderbird 1's a bit of a mess. I'm gonna need some help to get her home."
"We're a bit grounded ourselves, Scott," said Jeff. "Fierce storm has been raging. It should pass within an hour. Can you hold out?"
"Yes, Dad," said Scott. "But you may want to get us some security."
"Yes, I had to chase three critters away who tried to harm your boy and steal his ship, Jeff," Jeremiah said.
"And you'll have it," said Jeff. "Now that I know what region you're in, Scott, I can have Kayo and Lady Penelope provide security whilst we recover Thunderbird 1."
"Not the GDF?" asked Scott.
"They've been out searching for you," said Jeff. "I'll have them stand down."
Scott nodded. "Fair enough, Dad. see you soon."
"Oh, you will, son," smiled Jeff. "Take care of him, Jeremiah."
"No problem, Mr Tracy," said Jeremiah. They then signed off.
Jeff and Kayo looked at each other, grinning like a pair of Cheshire Cats. Jeff then pressed a button to talk over the tannoy. "International Rescue - good news. Scott has been found in the Mississippi region. The storm is starting to ease and we should be able to launch in about an hour. Get all the rest you can. Then we're going to bring Scott home."
The news filled Virgil, Gordon, Grandma and Brains with a huge sense of relief. Even John heard the call on Thunderbird 5 and he immediately began to search the region for the exact location of Thunderbird 1.
Jeremiah had a wooden shack about five miles from where Thunderbird 1 had come down. It was a long way to walk so they drove back in Jeremiah's old-fashioned black Model-T car, which was the most antiquated thing that Scott had ever ridden in.
"Like the old stuff, do you?" Scott asked.
"Ah, she's a good girl," replied Jeremiah. "Had her for forty years and she's never let me down."
"She's a little slower than what I'm used to," said Scott.
Jeremiah smirked, but said nothing as they approached the old wooden house.
Leaving the car, they walked up to the front where they found an elderly woman in a straw hat similar to Jeremiah's sitting in a rocking chair. She looked curiously at Scott as they approached. "You found yourself a friend, Jeremiah?" she asked in an accent as strong as his own.
"One of Jeff Tracy's boys, Ma," answered Jeremiah. "His bird come down in the trees a few miles back. We're to take care of him until they arrive."
"I see," said Ma. She looked at Scott. "If you're hungry there's food on the table in there. If you want to take a bath, it's in the back."
"Thanks," said Scott. "I'm starving." He followed Jeremiah into the house. He couldn't help but be amazed by just how old-fashioned everything was. The kitchen, the furniture. It was like he'd travelled back in time to the early twentieth century.
Scott approached the dining table and saw it had several of the small silver tins that Jeremiah had offered to the Enforcers. He was curious to know what was inside of them and whether they were edible. He picked up one of the tins and began to pull the ring-top to open it.
"You be careful of them beans, boy," warned Jeremiah with a chuckle. "They'll do more than make your butt whistle."
Scott in an instant decided that he wasn't hungry after all and cautiously put the tin back on the table before walking away.
The storm was clearing above Tracy Island. Nobody had slept, but they weren't bothered anymore by that. The only thing on everyone's minds was getting Scott back home. Everyone gathered in the lounge as Jeff gave a final briefing. "Okay, we know where Thunderbird 1 is now. John has located her on satellite imagery. Alan, you are no longer grounded. Help us bring your brother home."
Alan punched the air excitedly. "Yes!" he said. "Don't worry, Dad. I won't let you down."
"None of us will," added Gordon.
Jeff smiled proudly. "Let's suit up," he said.
Soon Virgil was heading down the chute to Thunderbird 2. Gordon was going down in his express elevator. Jeff and Brains were making their own way to Thunderbird 2 and Alan and Kayo were heading in their chairs to the changing rooms. They were soon all in their uniforms and entering their respective craft. Virgil arrived in Thunderbird 2 first and selected Module 3 for Heavy-Lifting purposes. Jeff, Gordon, Alan and Brains arrived once the module was locked in place. Kayo meanwhile had climbed aboard the Shadowbike and raced down to be lifted on the elevator into the main body of Thunderbird Shadow which was then carried up to the rotating cliff which spun her around so she was out in the open then swivelling round to face upwards. At the same time Thunderbird 2 was taxiing out of the hangar and passed through the avenue of folded back palm trees before stopping on the ramp which then lifted into place as the wings folded up and the blast shield rose up.
5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
Thunderbird 2's engines fired first and it soared off the ramp into the sky. Thunderbird Shadow fired its engines next and the clamp holding it in place was released. It dropped away and then flipped around to fly off after Thunderbird 2.
"Thunderbirds are GO!" said Jeff.
Having finally been able to eat something that wasn't beans and washed his face clean, Scott was feeling better. Now he and Jeremiah were back in the car returning to the spot where Thunderbird 1 had come down. Now that they were alone, Scott finally plucked up the courage to ask Jeremiah a question. "So, how do you know my Dad?"
"I've known him for years," replied Jeremiah. "We were in the service together. I got wind of your Dad wanting to set up a top-secret rescue organisation. I offered my help and he accepted without hesitation."
"I've met a lot of Dad's friends over the years," said Scott. "But I can't ever remember meeting you or even hearing about you before."
Jeremiah smiled. "Your Dad has more friends than you could possibly know, son," he said. "I bet you haven't even met a third of them."
"You know Tim Casey or Lee Taylor?"
"Ah, yes," said Jeremiah. "Not heard them names in a long time. They still around?"
"Casey's with the Royal Canadian Mountain Police," said Scott. "And Taylor's on Mars."
Jeremiah chuckled. "That last one don't surprise me one bit," he said. "Old Taylor always preferred to be in space and not the Earth."
Scott fell silent as he thought about Captain Taylor and his illness. They'd not heard anything from him since they'd returned from Mars. he hoped that was a good thing and that Taylor was being treated.
Suddenly Jeremiah slammed on the brakes and the old car came to a stop. Scott was nearly thrust into the dashboard. "Gongdangit," growled Jeremiah.
Scott looked up and saw the reason why Jeremiah had stopped. An armoured Jeep stood about ten metres away. Sitting in the driving seat was Fancy Dan with Ox in the passenger seat. Then the top opened and Montana appeared to man a large machine-gun. "End of the line, Tuttle!" he called. "You've disrupted our plans for the last time! And now you're gonna pay with your life!"
Scott stood up. "LEAVE THE MAN ALONE, MONTANA!" he shouted. "KILLING HIM WON'T GAIN YOU ANYTHING!"
"Maybe not, but I want him dead, just because!" said Montana. "As for you, once you're dead as well there'll be nobody to stop us from acquiring your Thunderbird! And trust me, it WILL happen!"
"Sit back down," Jeremiah hissed to Scott who complied. "AND TRUST ME, IT WON'T!" he shouted back at Montana. He threw the car into reverse and then made a handbrake turn before racing off - at not a fast pace.
Montana laughed loudly. "Dang fool. He not getting away in that clapped out piece of junk. After him, boys!"
"Hell, yeah!" jeered Fancy Dan as he put the Jeep into gear and raced off after the Model-T at twice the speed it was doing.
Scott glanced back and his eyes widened as he saw the Jeep closing in. "Errrrr, Jeremiah…you know we're about to be rammed, right?"
"Oh, no, we're not, sonny," chuckled Jeremiah. "Hold on to your butt, boy." He then moved a lever on the dashboard which activated a turbo booster in the car's engine.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" exclaimed Scott as the Model-T shot off like a rocket, its wheels kicking up a layer of dust that temporarily blinded the equally startled Enforcers.
Due to the windows being open, the dust also filled the cab making Ox and Fancy Dan choke. "I *cough* c-can't *cough* see!" spluttered Fancy Dan.
"I *cough* can't *cough-cough* breathe!" choked Ox.
Montana coughed as well as he inhaled some of the dust, and it only made him more angry. "Right, that does it! That old man is getting put down this instant!"
They rounded a bend and could see the speeding Model-T some way ahead of them. Fancy Dan put his foot down and raced the Jeep as fast as it could go, but the gap between them and the Model-T was hardly getting any smaller. If anything, the Model-T seemed to be steadily opening the gap.
Montana aimed the powerful machine-gun towards the back of the Model-T and began shooting. It fired a massive salvo of bullets that proceeded to ricochet off the surrounding rocks, trees and dirt road.
Jeremiah wavered and turned the car from side to side in order to throw off Montana's aim. At times the firing stopped as they rounded a bend only for Montana to shoot again the moment he caught sight of it.
Scott was having to crouch inside the car, hoping they were far enough away that the bullets wouldn't penetrate the bodywork as this vehicle definitely wasn't armoured.
"WE NEED TO LOSE THESE GUYS!" Scott yelled above the noise of the machine-gun and the car's engine. "I HOPE YOU'VE GOT A PLAN?!"
"I SURE DO, BOY!" Jeremiah shouted back. "I GOT WHAT WE NEED IN THE BACK!"
Scott braved himself to peer over the back of the seat he was in to look at the rear seats. He blinked at the sight that fell upon his eyes. The back seats had at least twenty of the metal bean tins that he'd tried to open back at the house. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Scott exclaimed. "YOU BROUGHT THE BEAN TINS?!"
"I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT 'EM!" Jeremiah yelled. "NOW GRAB ONE AND THROW IT!"
"THROW IT?!" Scott shouted. "THROW IT WHERE?!"
"AT THE JEEP, GENIUS!" shouted Jeremiah.
Scott stared at Jeremiah in bewilderment. He was asking him to throw tins of beans at an armoured Jeep with men hell-bent on their deaths? That wasn't something he ever expected to hear. "THROW THE BEANS AT THE JEEP?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Scott thundered.
"JUST DO IT!" bellowed Jeremiah.
Scott rolled his eyes and sighed. He reached over the back of the seat and grabbed one of the tins. They turned a corner, temporarily losing sight of the Enforcers' vehicle. Then as soon as it came back into view, Scott took aim and threw the tin of beans in the direction of the Jeep. Scott really couldn't see how this was going to stop them as it hit the ground just as the Jeep drove over it.
BOOM! The tin of beans exploded underneath the Jeep causing it to jump up for a second and then Fancy Dan lost control. It swerved about as he tried to regain control but it wasn't quick enough and the Jeep hit a tree head on. Its front was crushed and it spun around before coming to a stop a few metres further on with smoke billowing from its engine. Both Fancy Dan and Ox were knocked out instantly whilst Montana was literally thrown out of the top and landed a few feet away. There was a splitting crack as his right leg broke. He screamed in agony and then in fury as he saw the Model-T disappearing from view. Once again, he and his team of Enforcers had been beaten - by none other than a can of beans.
Scott was completely dumbstruck by what had just happened. "So…that explosion when you took out the first guy earlier…that was a tin of beans too?"
"It sure was," chuckled Jeremiah. "Ma's beans are legendary around these parts. That's why whenever we get into a confrontation, I always come out on top. Outsiders always underestimate us Tuttles."
Scott was left in a stunned silence.
"Don't you worry now," said Jeremiah as they took a right turn. "I know this area like the back of my hand. We'll take the slightly longer route to your ship."
The route was indeed slightly longer but it still didn't take long for Jeremiah and Scott to reach the spot where Thunderbird 1 was. To Scott's relief it was still there, sitting with its front hidden in the trees and back end showing out.
"See? What did I tell you?" said Jeremiah. "Still there without being touched." He stopped the car and they began to step out.
"I'll be a lot happier when she's back at home being repaired," said Scott. "I'm already dreading the-"
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! The sonic scream came out of nowhere, hitting Jeremiah and threw him back whilst also flipping the car over as well.
"What the?!" exclaimed Scott when the screech started. When it stopped he looked around and saw the car lying on its roof and the body of Jeremiah lying several feet away. "JEREMIAH?!"
"AHAHAHAHA!"
Scott spun back around. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" he cried as a streak silver charged and grabbed him before lifting him up off the ground and carrying him into the sky before coming to a stop about two-thousand feet off the ground. Scott got over the initial shock and found himself staring into the helmet of a silver and grey-winged figure with a helmet covering its face. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Scott cried out. The helmet then opened to reveal an all-to-familiar face that he hoped he wouldn't see for a long time. "HAVOC?!"
"Silver Swan," she said. "Let's see how you fly without your Thunderbird." She let go and he began to fall.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHH!" screamed Scott as Silver Swan laughed maniacally.
Scott went to activate his jetpack, only to realise to his horror that he wasn't wearing it. However he did realise that he had his grapple gun and thinking quickly, pulled it from his utility sash and fired it up at Silver Swan. Silver Swan was too busy enjoying seeing Scott's fall to notice the grapple until it attached itself to her leg. "WHA?!" she cried before screaming as Scott's momentum caught her off guard and began to drag her down. Scott retracted the grapple winch pulling himself back up to Silver Swan and grabbing onto her. He then forced her around so she was the one between him and the ground. Silver Swan had no time to react before Scott jumped clear as she slammed into the ground, causing the ground to shake and sending up a huge cloud of dirt as he barrel-rolled away and landed painfully a few metres away. He rolled over several times, crying out before coming to rest. As the dust settled, Silver Swan lay in the crater she'd made, unconscious.
"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww," Scott groaned. "That's gonna leave a mark."
"Impressive, Scott," said another all-to-familiar voice.
"Oh, no…" Scott said as he slowly began to look up to see The Hood in his green and black Vulture-armour-suit standing over him.
"That was a slick move," The Hood continued. "I must congratulate you. But it was all in vain." He then kicked Scott in the chest causing him to yelp. Scott rolled over a few times before landing on his back. The Hood then stood on Scott's torso and pinned him down.
"How…?" asked Scott weakly. "How did you know-"
"About your situation?" asked The Hood. He gave a chuckle. "Easy. I have many sources of info. It's just none I've received recently that was interesting until I learned the GDF were looking for you. My little spy then heard what region you were in and Swan and I came to make sure that you were given a timely end if you'd somehow managed to survive the crash."
"The others will be here soon," Scott said. "They'll stop you."
The Hood chuckled again. "You barely stood up to me the last time we fought, Scott," he said. "I took you all out. Even your Grandmother. I was only stopped by pure bad luck. And trust me, that won't happen again!" He extended one of the metal feathers on his right wing ready to stab it into Scott's chest.
BANG! A shot rang out and struck the metal feather, breaking it off and taking The Hood by surprise.
"What?!" The Hood exclaimed and looked around. "Who fired that shot?"
The Hood and Scott looked over and saw Jeremiah was back on his feet and advancing towards them. He had cuts on his face, his shirt was torn and he was limping on his left leg but he still continued to advance on them with his shotgun.
"More diabolical critters wanting to bring harm to a Tracy son?" growled Jeremiah. "People like you make me sick! Back off! He's under my protection!"
The Hood stared at Jeremiah. Then he burst out laughing. "Well, this is amusing," he said. "Stay out of this, old timer. You are no match for me."
Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that, boy!" he said and cocked his gun ready to shoot. But he didn't get to fire the gun for The Hood activated his own sonic-scream device and sent out a massive shockwave that sent Jeremiah flying back again where he landed thirty metres away.
"NO!" yelled Scott and tried punching on The Hood's armoured leg.
It didn't affect The Hood at all who simply laughed. "Oh, Scott, Scott, Scott Tracy. I'd admire your efforts if they weren't so pathetic. Now, let's finish what Swan started. Only this time, from twice the height and without your grapple."
Scott's heart skipped a beat as he realised the grapple gun had been dropped as he'd jumped off Silver Swan. He was powerless to do anything as The Hood took a hold of his shoulders with his electronic talons and then used his suit's thrusters to lift Scott up off the ground to carry him up into the air. Scott was too weakened to resist this time.
Jeremiah was in pain and winded from being thrown back by the sonic blast, but he was by no means out of it. He adjusted his glasses and, still lying on his back, raised his shotgun up towards the escaping Hood with his captive. "Don't mess this up, Jeremiah, or you're a fired man," he said to himself before pulling on the trigger.
BANG! The gun fired its shot. It narrowly missed Scott and went right into one of the thrusters on The Hood's back. It ripped through the pack and disabled one of the jets.
"WHAT?!" cried The Hood as the weight of Scott overwhelmed the thrust that came from the other jet and began to pull them back down. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Due to the thrust from The Hood's suit-pack slowing the fall meant that Scott was able to get a not so hard landing when The Hood did drop him. As he lay down, panting to try and get his breath back, The Hood landed a short distance away. Infuriated, he looked up to see Jeremiah was now up and back on his feet once again.
The Hood got to his feet as well, face red with fury as the two men began to advance towards each other. "You DARE?!" he bellowed at Jeremiah. "LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING! I HAVE A SUIT OF HIGH TECH! YOU CANNOT-"
He got no further for Scott saw Jeremiah had picked up one of the tins of beans that had been thrown out of the car after it had been overturned by Silver Swan. He rolled over and buried his face in the grass before covering his ears with his hands. Jeremiah threw the tin at The Hood, who was so busy shouting that he didn't even realise what was happening until it happened. The tin of beans landed just shot of The Hood's feet and it detonated.
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" screamed The Hood as he was thrown back by the blast. He fell backwards and landed with a crash on the ground. The blast had blackened his face and he felt a sharp stinging sensation that was extremely painful.
Whilst all this had been happening, Silver Swan had regained consciousness and had sat up just in time to see The Hood get blasted back by the tin of beans. Of course she had no idea that it was a tin of beans that had taken The Hood down but she didn't care. Seeing The Hood get knocked down enraged her. She jumped up, activated her own thrusters, which weren't functioning properly due to them getting the full force of the impact when she hit the ground, and charged bellowing with rage at Jeremiah. "ANIMAL!" she shrieked. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get threatened all the time, Silver-Bird!" retorted Jeremiah as he threw another tin of beans at Silver Swan. Although she wasn't on the ground when it landed the explosion occurred right in front of her and the small shockwave was enough to knock her off course and she crashed back into the ground before spinning over and landing next to The Hood.
Scott was back on his feet now as well and he and Jeremiah stared down at the two villains.
"Boss, get up!" hissed Silver Swan.
"I can't…" answered The Hood weakly. "Suit's…down."
"And stay down," said Scott. "We don't want to hurt you anymore."
Silver Swan snarled. "You'll never get the chance again!" she spat.
At that moment there came the sound of approaching aircraft engines coming from different directions. They looked up to see Thunderbirds 2 and Shadow coming in from the West and FAB1 which was coming from the East.
From within the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, Jeff, Brains and the brothers could see what was going on.
"There's Scott!" said Virgil.
"And Jeremiah," added Jeff.
"But who are those other two?" asked Alan.
Gordon had a pair of binoculars and looked down at the two unknown figures. He could see the face of the silver-winged person but he recognised the green and black armor worn by the other person. "Holy CRIPES!" he cried. "IT'S THE HOOD!"
"WHERE?!" Kayo shouted.
"DOWN THERE!" yelled Gordon.
Kayo looked down from Thunderbird Shadow and saw them. Her eyes began to burn with anger at the sight of her uncle on the ground.
In FAB1 also, Penelope and Parker could make out that Scott and Jeremiah weren't alone.
"Parker, it would seem we have some uninvited guests," said Penelope.
Parker zoomed in with a camera. "Crikey! It's The 'ood!"
Penelope gasped. "Oh, no. Parker, get us down there. Now!"
Parker was already diving FAB1 towards the ground as Penelope gave the order.
"Damn it!" cursed Silver Swan after seeing the approaching aircraft. She turned back to Scott and Jeremiah. "One day, Scott Tracy. You and your family will pay for all that you've done to us!" She grabbed The Hood and using what power she had left in her thruster took to the air once more, carrying the injured Hood as she went.
Kayo, Parker and Penelope saw this and set off in pursuit.
"Who's the silver bird?" quizzed Parker.
"I don't know, Parker," replied Penelope. "But we must stop them from getting away."
"I don't care who they are!" snapped Kayo. "They're working for The Hood. That makes them an enemy. I'll separate them. FAB1, you catch the silver one and I'll take The Hood."
"F-A-B," said Penelope.
Silver Swan looked back to see Thunderbird Shadow closing in. "Oh, no, you don't, Kayo!" she said. She turned and activated her sonic scream at Thunderbird Shadow. Kayo managed to dodge but almost hit FAB1 in the process. Parker had to spin the car around to avoid a collision.
"CAREFUL!" shouted Parker.
"SORRY!" Kayo shouted back.
Silver Swan now realised there were two targets that she had to try and fend off. FAB1 looked to be the one coming towards them so she readied herself to shout again but Kayo brought Thunderbird Shadow back up and fired its own sonic cannon causing Silver Swan to scream herself. In doing so, she dropped The Hood. Before she could dive after to catch him, Thunderbird Shadow swooped in and grabbed The Hood with one of the claws. Silver Swan roared in a rage and tried to chase after Thunderbird Shadow only to get slammed in from behind by FAB1. Parker had activated the front magnet which held Swan in place due to her suit being pure metal. "GET OFF ME!" she shrieked and tried to pull free.
Parker and Penelope couldn't see her face so didn't realise who it was they had attached to their front. "Okay, Kayo, we've got them," said Penelope. "Now what?"
"Follow my lead," said Kayo. "We'll keep them secure until the GDF arrives. Thunderbird 5, better drop a call to the GDF and tell them we have a couple of presents for them."
"So I saw from the satellite feed," replied John. "Good work, both of you."
Thunderbird 2 had by now landed on the ground in the clearing next to where Thunderbird 1 lay. Scott had a very emotional reunion with his brothers and father.
"We thought we'd lost you for a while, son," said Jeff.
"So did I, Dad," replied Scott. "I was so angry with myself for breaking the insides of Thunderbird 1. It was stupid of me. And now look where it landed me." He looked at Alan. "I guess that means we're both grounded now, little brother."
"I'm not grounded anymore, Scott," replied Alan with a grin. "I am back on the team!"
Scott grinned. "Glad to hear it. After this past week, I'm beat. Think I need a vacation."
"You've certainly earned one, Scott," said Jeff. "But right now, let's focus on getting Thunderbird 1 back to base. Brains has some work to do."
Brains had been examining Thunderbird 1. "You know what, M-Mr Tracy. Thunderbird 1 appears to have s-stood up to the crash remarkably well. I mean we can't see the f-full extent of what's underneath but it may not be as serious as it might look."
"I'll take Thunderbird 2 up and attach cables so we can lift her up and check the underbelly," said Virgil as he started to make his way back to his ship.
Gordon then spoke to Scott. "How did you manage to fend off The Hood and whoever that other person is?" he asked.
"Not by myself, that's for sure," replied Scott. He turned to Jeremiah. "I had some help from a friend."
"That be me, boy," chuckled Jeremiah. "Baldy-Bird and Silver-Chick almost had me down and out for the count, but my trust sidearm and Ma's beans never let me down."
"Beans?" Gordon and Alan asked, exchanging bewildered looks.
Jeff chuckled. "Ah, your Ma's beans are still as famous as ever, Jeremiah?"
"Indeed they are, Mr Tracy, sir," replied Jeremiah. "And that's why nobody gets away with anything in these parts. Not even winged assassins like them." He pointed to The Hood and Silver Swan who were being brought down towards them by FAB1 and Thunderbird Shadow. Kayo landed her ship with the claw still holding The Hood down. He'd regained most of his senses and was now struggling to break free of the grasp.
Silver Swan too was trying to pull herself free of the magnet on the front of FAB1 but the pull was too strong and she quickly wore herself out.
Jeff, Scott, Gordon, Alan and Jeremiah came over as Kayo, Penelope and Parker walked to the front of FAB1 to take a look at this strange new villain that only Scott knew the identity of.
"I see you've gotten a new recruit, Uncle," said Kayo. "Shame their first encounter with us has ended in failure….as always," she finished smugly.
"New…recruit?" asked The Hood smugly. "Oh, Kayo, how little you know sometimes."
Kayo frowned, but before she could reply, Scott spoke to Silver Swan. "Why don't you show us your face?" he said. "It's not like you can escape to keep it hidden now."
Silver Swan gave a growl and she pressed the side of her helmet which opened up to reveal her face.
Everyone except for Scott and Jeremiah recoiled in shock. "HAVOC?!"
"Not anymore," said Scott with his arms folded. "She calls herself Silver Swan now." He turned back to the seething villain. "Nice upgrade you got, Swan. pity it hasn't done you much good."
"It should have!" snapped Silver Swan. "The boss got his upgrade to be better than you! I got rewarded with this upgrade so I could be better than you. THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING!"
"And yet it has," said Scott. "Why don't you just give up already? This Cabal of yours won't get you anywhere."
Silver Swan sniggered. "You think this is over?" she asked. "We've not even begun. You morons have no idea what's about to-"
Penelope suddenly kicked Silver Swan in the face and knocked her out cold.
"You read my mind," Scott said.
"Ugh, she was getting on my nerves," answered Penelope.
Virgil had got Thunderbird 2 back in the air and was now hovering directly above Thunderbird 1. Brains had guided him into position so he could lower the large magnetic grapple down to hoist the downed ship out of the trees. "Okay, V-Virgil. Grapple is attached," said Brains.
"F-A-B, Brains," replied Virgil. "Although I'm not sure whether I'm gonna be able to just lift her out. She might be wedged in the trees."
"She m-might be but we won't know until we t-try," answered Brains. "Take her up, s-slowly."
Virgil carefully applied power to Thunderbird 2's VTOL engines as he tried to lift Thunderbird 1 up and out from the trees. But try and he might, Thunderbird 1 only moved a little way and then went no further. "Ah, it's no good," sighed Virgil. "She's stuck alright."
"Then we have n-no alternative," sighed Brains. He turned to the others who'd come back over to watch. "We'll have to c-cut down the trees."
Nobody wanted to do this but they knew there was no other option. So Virgil lowered a couple of chainsaws down to Alan and Gordon who then used them to cut away the two trees that were preventing Thunderbird 1 from rising.
"TIMBER!" Gordon and Alan yelled as their respective trees fell away onto the ground. Parker then used FAB1 to tow the trees out of the way.
"I'm sorry about this, Jeremiah," apologised Jeff. "But we can't just leave Thunderbird 1 here. If she fell into the wrong hands-"
"It's quite alright, Mr Tracy," said Jeremiah. "I do what I can to protect this area. However there are times that you have to make sacrifices. This is one of them."
Now that the trees were clear, Virgil tried again, and this time he was successful in lifting Thunderbird 1 out from the rest of the trees to a chorus of cheers from all who were present. All except for The Hood and Silver Swan who were sitting in their wrecked suits tied up and being guarded by Kayo and Penelope. They stayed silent, brooding over yet another defeat.
With Thunderbird 1 now clear, Brains, Scott and Jeff were able to survey the damage. They were stunned by what they saw.
"Brains, you son of a gun!" exclaimed Jeff. "That new alloy-coating you applied to the ships some time ago really does protect them."
"The bottom fins of the tail have been ripped off but they're easily replaceable," said Scott.
"The g-gradual fall rather than a fast one certainly minimises the damage," agreed Brains. "All being w-well I'll have her up and running within a week."
"Brains, you never cease to amaze us," said Jeff, clapping the engineer on the shoulder. "Any other craft and that would have been out of action for months."
"Or for good," said Scott. "Just proves a point. The Thunderbirds really are the best ships in the world. Nobody can argue with that."
Jeremiah looked over at The Hood and Silver Swan. "I'm not sure they'd agree with you," he said.
Whilst Brains and Virgil worked to have Thunderbird 1 placed on solid ground for further inspection, the rest went over to join Parker, Penelope and Kayo who were still guarding the criminals.
"Come to gloat, have you, Jeff?" snarled The Hood.
"I don't gloat, Hood," replied Jeff. "But I do find the way you were both defeated rather amusing."
"You call being attacked in mid-air by this pathetic pink monstrosity and that wannabe stealth bomber amusing?" spat Silver Swan.
Parker tried to advance on her for being rude about FAB1 but Penelope held him back. "No, Parker. She is not worth it."
"I wasn't referring to that," said Jeff. "It's how Jeremiah here managed to knock you both down that I find most fascinating."
Scott did feel like gloating. "Tell me, Hood and Swan. How does it feel to be taken out by beans?"
The Hood and Silver Swan stared at him, then exchanged puzzled looks.
"Beans?" repeated The Hood. "What are you blabbering about?"
Scott turned to Jeremiah. "May I?"
"Of course," said Jeremiah and he handed a tin of beans to Scott.
Scott turned back to the criminals. "Either of you hungry?" he asked. "You should try these. They're really, um, explosive."
The Hood and Silver Swan didn't believe a word Scott was saying. Nor did anyone else for that matter.
"I've never heard such rubbish in all my life!" snapped The Hood.
"You know what Uncle?" said Kayo. "For once I agree with you."
"Yeah, how can a can of beans stop these two psychos?" asked Gordon.
The Hood and Silver Swan scowled at Gordon.
Scott smirked. "You might want to take a few steps back," he said.
Everyone looked at each other, then took three steps back each leaving Scott being the only one close to The Hood and Silver Swan. He then threw the tin up in the air and ran backwards quickly.
"Oh, please!" said The Hood, rolling his eyes. "Do you really expect us to be intimidated by-"
BOOM! The tin exploded and caused everyone except for Scott, Jeff and Jeremiah to cry out in alarm. Alan, Gordon, Kayo and Parker all fell over backwards and Brains fell off the landing leg he was working on causing Virgil to run to see if he was okay.
Everyone then looked over as the smoke cleared to reveal a rather stunned Hood and Silver Swan whose faces and suits were blackened by the smoke.
"-beans…" The Hood finished hoarsely.
Two GDF Flyers appeared over the trees and landed in the clearing. The doors opened and two sets of soldiers marched down the ramps. Following one of the groups was Colonel Casey who was surprised and delighted to see what was being handed over to them. "Well, well, well. The Hood and Havoc. The two main leaders of The Cabal are back in custody. And this time, you're gonna stay that way."
"We'll see about that, Colonel," snarled The Hood as he and Silver Swan were forced into separate Flyers. "Don't forget we still have a trump card to play. Your son is still in our possession." He began to smirk and laugh but was silenced when Colonel Casey punched him in the face which gave him an instant black eye.
"Get this monstrosity out of my sight!" Colonel Casey barked as The Hood was forced aboard the Flyer. She then turned to the others. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she said. "I will not rest until I get the truth about my son's whereabouts from him!"
"Make sure you do rest at some point, Colonel," said Scott. "You'll burn out otherwise. Look at what's happened to me. I pushed myself too hard. I made a big mistake and ended up with everyone here having to come to my rescue. I'm the one who should be doing the rescuing, not the one being rescued."
"Hey, we all need saving sometimes," said Virgil.
"What I want to know is how did The Hood know where you were, Scott?" asked Penelope. "Unless it just so happens to be The Cabal's base is located nearby?"
"If it is then The White Ghost and Techno will have to reveal themselves sooner or later," said Colonel Casey. "They're bound to come after their leaders. And we'll be waiting for them. As for how they found out, maybe it was a coincidence."
"Or the spy in the GDF told them," said Kayo. "Meaning whoever it is has to high up in the chain of command, or even close to you, Colonel."
"She has a point, Martha," said Jeff. "You need to watch your back….at all times."
Colonel Casey nodded. "Don't worry. I will," she said determinedly before heading back into the Flyer.
"Oh, by the way, Colonel Casey," Jeremiah said. "There's a trio of critters back in the trees over there who also tried to steal Thunderbird. They may need medical attention before being locked up."
"Very well," said Colonel Casey who was as intrigued as the others. "We will go and take a look. Good day to you all."
Everyone stood back whilst the Flyers took to the air once more then headed away over the trees.
Brains then spoke up. "T-Thunderbird 1 has been checked, Mr Tracy. Even though the d-damage is minor, I would rather not attempt to get her back to Tracy Island on her own power. It would be m-much safer for Thunderbird 2 to carry her home."
"I was kind of expecting we were going to do that anyway, Brains," said Virgil.
"In that case, boys, I think it's time we take our leave," said Jeff. he then turned to Jeremiah. "I can't thank you enough for finding Scott and keeping him safe until we arrived."
"Yeah, I owe you big time, Jeremiah. I would have been a dead man for sure if it wasn't for you…and your Ma's beans."
Everyone laughed now that they knew the story behind Ma Tuttle's beans.
"The pleasure is all mine, young Mr Tracy," Jeremiah said to Scott. "If you ever need my help again. You know where to find me."
Jeff and Scott shook Jeremiah warmly by the hand before heading off to join the others in Thunderbird 2.
"Hey, Penny?" Jeff then said. "Do you and Parker want to come back to the island for dinner? Grandma is going to put on quite a feast for the occasion."
Penelope and Parker looked at each other, then Penelope caught sight of Gordon who was mouthing 'Say yes' at her over and over. She broke into a smile. "Now that's an offer I can never refuse," she said.
Thunderbird 2 took to the air and used grapples to hoist Thunderbird 1 up before heading off across the United States towards the Pacific with Thunderbird Shadow and FAB1 providing an escort. Everyone felt a great sense of relief that Scott was safe. As for Scott, he'd tried at all costs to avoid resting as he felt he was needed. But now, a long rest was the only thing he wanted.