Out Of Place

AN – Not many chapters left now after this one! I think one plus the epilogue. I have to warn, there is one word in this chapter which is on the borderline between T and M. I've left it T for now as it is used once, but if anyone is offended please let me know through a pm and I'll adjust the rating.

Disclaimer – I don't own Thunderbirds

Chapter Thirty – Good riddance

John crouched by the door into the manager's room over the workshop floor. He was aware of Angel pressed against his back with her head above his, also watching what was going on. The Hood appeared to be saying something to Lady Penelope and Gordon, straining closer John tried to catch what it was.

"…most irritating. How many more of you are there going to be crawling over my enterprise here? I will have to send out the drones to hunt you all out."

Angel tapped John's shoulder and mouthed 'drones?' to him. John replied with 'robots', rewarded by a curt nod as they turned their attention back to Lady Penelope and Gordon.

The Hood turned towards one of the windows overseeing the workshop, gesturing at his operation whilst bragging to his audience. Gordon was rolling his eyes when he caught a flash of red hair from the doorway. John's eyes connected with his fellow redhead for a fraction of a second, before Gordon leant sideways and sent something crashing off a small table onto the floor.

"Oops."

"You clumsy fool!" The Hood snarled, approaching him with a raised fist. "That was valuable hardware!"

"This?" Gordon asked innocently, prodding it with his toes since his wrists were secured behind his back. "Looks like junk to me."

"Well that shows what you know." The Hood snarled back. "Now get over there before you cause more damage."

In all the disruption, John had swapped sides of the door which gave him a much better view of the room. Angel was in his previous position – between them they were just waiting for an opportunity to act. But the Hood was still too far away for them to be able to take him by surprise.

By now, Lady Penelope had also realised that they were there, her blue eyes expressive as she tried to convey something to them that John couldn't decipher. The next moment she was demure meekness itself as the Hood turned his attention back to her.

"Don't think you can fool me with that act, Lady Penelope. You forget that I know you. How interesting it was to come here and find out that International Rescue were a secret organisation yet I knew exactly who they were! There was so much I could have done with that information, but you covered your tracks at every opportunity. Besides, your Thunderbird machines in this place are pale imitations compared to the advanced systems I have been able to bring with me. Here I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams and I will not let International Rescue get in my way!"

Maybe the Hood would have ranted more, but at that moment an explosion rocked through the compound. The glass in the windows was blown inwards, covering the Hood, Penelope and Gordon in fine shards. John felt the roaring pressure in his ears and from the way Angel was shaking her head, she must as well.

But Angel recovered her wits quickly and with a bound had leapt on the Hood. She twisted one of his arms up behind him, forcing him onto his knees in the process.

"What are you doing?" he screeched, trying to twist free from her grasp but she was skilled and knew where to apply just enough pressure to render someone immobile. John passed them both and sat down on one of the computers, trying to see what information was held on it.

"Good timing," Gordon commented as he picked himself off the floor, brushing down his trousers. The glass seemed to be forming small balls and not lethal shards, other than the debris making the ground slippery there was no danger from it.

"Oh dear, I do hope Parker is unharmed." Lady Penelope looked out of the shattered windows with an expression of concern. "That explosion was really very large."

Gordon shook his head, though whether at Penelope's statement or to clear his ringing ears it wasn't certain. "Thunderbird 4 to base, come in please."

"This is base, what's up Gordon?"

"We have restrained the Hood father, it's probably a good time to ship Alan and John out here."

"FAB." Jeff's voice disappeared again.

"Oh, so this is going to become a family reunion." The Hood sneered. "How cloying."

No one in the room acknowledged him. John soon confirmed he'd been able to shut down all the robots and instead freed Gordon and Penelope from their restraints. They reused the handcuffs on the Hood, tying his wrists and his ankles together which meant that Angel could let him go without him being able to disappear again.

A short discussion later and Penelope left to find Parker and reunite with Virgil who was bringing Thunderbird 2 to the compound.

The Hood, in his uncomfortable position kneeling on the floor, began to complain loudly. "What exactly is it we are waiting for? Are you hoping I will give up any information if you keep me here?"

Angel ignored him completely, John looked as though he might reply but caught Angel's eye and thought better of it. This left Gordon to inform him of exactly what was going on. "We need to wait until the right time."

"Time for what?" The Hood sneered, but real curiosity lurked in his eyes.

"Time to swap you back," Gordon replied. He was keeping an eye on his watch, waiting for updates. Apparently the Brains were trying to communicate with the other team to arrange a time but hadn't had much success yet.

"You do realise how futile that is? I know how to get here now."

Gordon looked up at him. "The way I understand it, if everyone who doesn't belong goes back to their respective dimensions then the connection is broken and there isn't a link between them anymore. Particularly given that Parker has just blown your toy collection sky high. Even if you were able to re-establish it, it wouldn't be this one."

"And you believed that tripe? Of course I'll find this one again, it has my signal all over it. Plus I'm hardly the only one here." He nodded over to John, who was now watching with interest.

"We're all following you back." John informed him. "You are going to get quite the welcoming committee, I assure you."

"And what's to stop you coming here again?"

John shrugged. "I wouldn't know how. We didn't come here intentionally, a device operated when we tried to remove it from a transport. We assumed it was your work."

The Hood now looked genuinely confused. "A device… wait, my early prototype?! I thought it was securely on its way to the depths of space. It never worked! And yet… it brought you here? Fascinating." The way his eyes gleamed concerned John and he glanced worriedly at Angel. She smiled and shook her head reassuringly. The exchange wasn't unnoticed by the Hood.

"Interesting relationship you've developed with your brother's wife." He stated, insinuation dripping in every tone. John's eyes flashed but before he could say anything in reply Gordon's watch beeped.

"Hey Brains, what's up?"

"H-Hi Gordon, w-we've had a message from T-Tintin. T-They need to s-start transfer in five minutes. I-I've used the c-coordinates that we all are now to p-programme the transfer, so t-those being transported can't move now."

"FAB Brains."

"Hi Gordon," the blond John's voice came over the intercom.

"Oh you've made it with Alan then?"

"Yeah, he's just saying goodbyes now. Listen Gordon, the order we've worked out with Tintin is for The Hood to go first, then Alan, then Brains and the other John last. They will be five minutes apart and need to be holding one of those gadgets at the correct time. Clear?"

"Crystal." John nodded at Gordon to show that he understood too.

"Excellent, I'll be displaying the countdown to the transfer of the Hood on your watch now. Get ready and say goodbyes now."

"FAB John." The dial reverted to a clock, but this one counted down from three and a half minutes.

Gordon stepped over to the Hood and tied the small gadget Brains had given him to his handcuffed hands. He then stood the Hood upright but didn't release his feet. "There, all ready to go." He declared with a grin, patting his cheek insultingly.

The Hood snarled. "I was going to leave International Rescue alone as long as they stayed out of my plans, but now it's personal."

"What would you be able to do? Could you even come back?" John asked curiously.

The Hood glared at him contemptuously. "It wouldn't take a lot to destabilise the whole organisation. You're practically imploding anyway. What with you carrying on with her," gesturing towards Angel. "You thought nobody would notice but you've been making eyes at each other this whole time. It's sickening."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Angel told him dismissively. She turned away from him, further fuelling his anger.

"I know a cheap whore when I see-" His words were cut off when Angel leapt forwards and slapped him dramatically. The Hood wasn't expecting it, his head flung to the side by the force. He would have fallen if Gordon wasn't there to hold him upright. The shorter of the redheads looked curiously at Angel, while the Hood glared. One of her rings had caught his cheek, a bright red line beginning to ooze blood.

"You know nothing about me." Angel told him contemptuously.

"You have tested my patience one last time!" The Hood spat back at her. "I will-"

But what he would do was never to be known as at that moment the gadget in his hands whirred, emitted a bright light and then disappeared – along with the Hood.

Immediately, Angel transformed from a distressed woman back into the collected person John recognised.

"What was that?" He asked curiously.

"Just making sure he can't come back to enact his revenge." Angel replied enigmatically.

John was utterly confused, but Gordon had a knowing expression.

"Let me guess, he's suddenly going to get severely ill?"

"Likely an undetected heart failure." Angel replied.

John's eyes opened wide with surprise as he looked between them.

"Oh that would be a shame, such a nice man too." Gordon said nonchalantly.

"Tragedy." Angel murmured in response.

"Quite a coincidence."

"Possibly."

"Undetectable?"

"Naturally." The two of them shared a quick, conspiratorial glance while John struggled to comprehend what had just passed between them in the verbal volley.

"Wait… are you saying you what? Just poisoned the Hood?"

"I think we were very carefully not saying that." Gordon replied glibly.

"You heard him," Angel said softly. "He was already planning how he was going to come back and take revenge. Even if not this dimension, then what? He knew the technology, we couldn't erase it from his brain."

John slowly nodded. It went against everything that International Rescue stood for but he understood. In many ways, he envied her for being able to make the decision he couldn't. He didn't get long to think about it before there was another flash of bright light and a bloodied figure was deposited in the space the Hood had previously occupied. Gordon heaved a sigh.

"Well I guess this would be the Black Phantom. I didn't realise we were going to get him back with bullets in him. I guess this is my cue to head out, I'll take him back to Virgil and see if there is anything that can be done for him." Gordon looked up at John, pulling him into a quick hug. "You'll do, fellow redhead. It's been fun. Right, bye kids – don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He pulled the Black Phantom into a fireman's lift and carried him out of the room to find his brother in the courtyard outside.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Scott and Alan waited with Virgil for the Hood to return. The other Scott and Kayo had gone to escort Havoc to the GDF and would be waiting outside with Colonel Casey to receive the Hood when he appeared.

"What order do you want to go back in, Scott?" Tintin asked him from her desk. "We need to programme the coordinates now, and when we do we won't be able to move far from our current positions. The Black Phantom must go first, of course."

"Alright Tintin. I think we'll send Alan, then you, then me last."

"I'll just confirm that with Brains." A few minutes passed, while the Black Phantom's breathing became more laboured and Virgil looked ever more worried.

"I've had confirmation they will be ready in five minutes, Scott. We each need to be wearing our transportation devices."

"Ok Tintin," Scott looked over to see that the Black Phantom was already wearing one, courtesy of Virgil. "Is he going to make it?"

"It's touch and go." Virgil replied with a grim expression. "This really doesn't feel right, for all we know the journey could kill him outright."

"If we try to take him to a hospital but he dies anyway then we have to leave one of the others in our dimension." Scott told him. "It's a bag full of bad choices, but this way at least we can all get to where we belong."

"I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand it."

"Thirty seconds." Tintin called from her position. Virgil leant back away from the Black Phantom. "I've passed on how injured he is Virgil, they are standing by with medical supplies."

Virgil blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. "Thanks, Tintin."

"Five seconds, four, three, two, one." The prone form of the Black Phantom disappeared abruptly, taking the intravenous line that Virgil had attached with him.

"Well I guess it's out of our hands now." Virgil replied. "But where's the Hood?"

Tintin frowned at her computer screen, moving some of the holographic code around. "May take a few moments…" she muttered.

When the Hood arrived a minute later, he looked decidedly green. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and a deep scratch on one cheek oozed blood. Alan looked at him in disgust.

"What happened to you?"

The Hood's eyes latched onto Scott. "Your ever so pleasant wife decided to slap me just before I left. She assaulted a captive man!"

Scott raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Alan, though, spoke up immediately.

"Wife?"

That caused Scott to wince. "Later, Alan." He promised. Turning back to the Hood who was assessing him.

"You aren't quite what I expected you to be."

"You mean I'm not like the Scott you know?" Scott smirked slightly. "I'd worked that out for myself, thank you."

"No wonder your wife is getting on so well with the redhead." The Hood sneered now. "John, I believe."

"Time for you to move on," Virgil said, firmly taking his elbow and beginning to lead him away.

"Why would Angel slap him?" Alan asked curiously. The Hood stalled and turned back to peer at him with an ugly smile. Virgil was forced to stop too, he looked at the blond curiously.

"I'm sure he gave plenty of provocation, I wouldn't worry about it."

"No, I don't mean that." Alan replied. "I'm sure she had lots of reasons to want to hit him. But then, why did she choose a silly slap? She could have knocked him clean out in a second."

"Maybe she didn't feel the need to beat up a beaten man." Virgil shrugged. "Come on, the GDF are waiting for you." More forcefully now he led the Hood away.

Alan turned instead to Scott. "When Angel took down our Hood, she scratched him too." He murmured, so quietly that only Scott could hear. Not that Tintin was listening anyway, she was focussing on the machine in front of her and the countdown. "She used a paralytic poison on him. Has she done the same here?"

"I doubt it's just a paralytic." Scott replied in the same tone. "But I'd imagine so."

"Alan, you have a few seconds!" Tintin called loudly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side." Alan said with a wave. "Say bye to Kayo for me." In a flash he was gone. Scott, as per instructions, stayed routed to the spot while they waited for the younger Alan to arrive. In the meantime Virgil came back in.

"Is it that time already?" He shook his head. "The Hood was going really slowly all the way to Scott and Kayo. He almost looked ill, the trip must have been pretty rough. Sorry, but forewarned is forearmed."

Scott winced. "About that..."

The arrival of Alan interrupted what Scott was about to say. "Virgil!" The young blond cried, giving his brother a huge hug. Scott was taken aback by how young he really was. Sure, he had known that Alan was only nineteen and he'd seen him on the calls but in the flesh he looked even younger – all teenage lankiness and out of proportion.

"Hey," Virgil replied with a fond smile, ruffling his youngest brother's hair. "Everything ok?"

"Oh yeah, I've been stuck at the base while the others got to take part in the action." Alan frowned. "Where is everyone?"

"Gordon has gone with Lady Penelope and Parker to a local hospital – I'll explain later. Scott and Kayo are making sure that Havoc and the Hood don't escape the GDF again."

"Oh OK." Alan looked like he was puzzling something over, when Tintin interrupted.

"Scott, I'm heading out in a few moments. Virgil, I've set the timer for Scott on your watch so you'll let him know when it's time."

"Sure thing Tintin." Virgil smiled at the brunette. "Good luck, it's been fun."

"Same to you Virgil," she smiled, before giving Max a tight hug. "Look after your Brains for me, Max. Nice to meet you Alan." She waved at the blond. "I'll see you soon Scott." Then she vanished.

"Is it true that your girlfriend killed the Hood?" Alan blurted out at Scott. Virgil laughed.

"Alan, I've just walked the Hood out of the room. He's not dead!"

"Yet." Scott added quietly, but it was loud enough for Virgil to turn to him confused. "I strongly suspect that Angel has probably done something, but I'm not sure what. It might be innocent."

"The other Gordon was saying she had 'taken care of him'," Alan accused. "The rest seemed to think that meant she killed him."

Scott shrugged. "Then he's probably a dead man walking. I don't know what she will have injected him with, but it's likely something you would never be able to detect."

Virgil gaped. "She injected him? What?"

"The cut," Scott gestured to his own cheek. "Alan is right, she never slaps. And even if she did, she doesn't wear rings. There would be nothing to catch on his cheek, unless she meant it to."

Brains suddenly appeared, staggering and falling over the seat that Tintin had been sitting in. "Oh my," he exclaimed, holding his head and looking around blearily before his eyes fell on Max. "Max! You'll never believe what happened! There was another one of me, Max!" With a wave at Virgil, Brains left the room towards the path to Thunderbird 2, talking excitedly to Max the whole time.

"We need to warn the GDF!" Virgil exclaimed. "He needs treatment, we can't just let him die!"

"You'll never work out what it is in time." Scott argued. "And before you ask, I don't know. I also don't know why she did it, although if I had to guess I'd say it's because she thinks he knows how to connect the dimensions and she's trying to prevent him ever coming across again."

Virgil frowned unhappily. "I understand that, but what can he do from within a GDF cell?"

"Wasn't he in a GDF cell before he transferred this time?" Scott asked knowingly. Virgil fell silent, thinking deeply.

Alan, who had been watching the debate between the two avidly, suddenly spoke up. "Hey, your timer is counting down from thirty seconds Virgil."

Virgil looked at his wrist, then up at Scott. "It's been really interesting getting to know you, I'm glad we've had this chance. Good luck."

"You too," Scott smiled back. "Take care."

Then he felt a strange tugging sensation from the area of the device he was wearing before being whisked away in a swirl of colour and light. The last thing he saw before disappearing from the dimension forever was a harried Scott rushing in and shouting for Virgil.