Thanks to everyone for the response to the last chapter. Sorry this one is late, time just ran away from me.
Chapter Twenty
For a while there was nothing but noise and confusion as the various members of the Tracy family plus Brains and Parker reacted to all that they'd heard. Only Jeff remained silent, thinking furiously whilst he let everyone have their say and release all their fury and frustration. Finally, though, he decided enough was enough and called the others to order.
"Well," he said, slowly, "I suppose we should at least be grateful for everything that we've learned."
"I should have guessed," Scott told him. "I had a feeling I knew the woman who caught me. She must have had plastic surgery. But Dad, she looks a lot like Penny now. Whatever's going on in her head, I don't like it." He kept quiet about the memories Sahara's voice had stirred up - she'd clearly been attracted to him, but why the obsession with Penny? Was she jealous of her? But why? Penny had just married another man. Sahara had to realise that she and Scott were just friends. Well, apart from that one time...
He forced himself to tune back into the conversation, realising that Gordon was speaking to him.
"Do you think the other guy was the one who helped her before?" the redhead asked.
"I guess so," Scott said. "He looked like he'd had work done too. The way he spoke reminded me of Eric Younger though, now I come to think of it."
"So we know who we're up against. Though given that Sahara was quite happy to let us know her identity, I doubt finding her will be easy."
"We know where she's been hiding out for the last year or so," John said. "Penny traced her that far. If she goes back there we'll have no way of getting to her. But Dad, if that lot get hold of IR's technology..."
"I know, John." It didn't bear thinking about.
"No luck with that signal?" Alan asked.
"Somewhere in the Atlantic. That's all I could get. Sorry."
"You did your best, son," Jeff told him.
"I might have an idea, though," John informed them, albeit a little hesitantly. "Brains, when you get to the new base give me a call, I need to talk something through with you."
"S-sure, John."
"Go, Johnny!" Gordon smiled for the first time, but only for a moment. "Guys, what is it with this woman and Thunderbird Four? Although I'm glad she only wants the plans and not my 'bird this time."
"H'are you going to give them to 'er?" Parker asked.
Jeff turned to look at him, not replying for a moment as he wondered if the woman's voice had triggered any more reactions. He didn't think so, given that her last instruction had been for Parker to kill himself, but he decided he'd better warn Brains to watch the man carefully once the pair of them were alone on the new base. He'd ask Alan to disable Parker's communicator, he thought - after all, the last thing he wanted was for him to simply call up Sahara and tell her where to find Thunderbird One. Or worse, where to find Brains. If Sahara managed to get him under her control, managed to persuade him to use his talents to develop methods of destruction, then the whole world would be in trouble.
"Dad?" Alan was prompting him for a response.
"She's not getting anything from us," Jeff said. "Not unless we've got no choice in the matter. Scott, do you think she's ruthless enough to put lives at risk to prove her theory?"
"Oh yes," Scott said. "Easily. But it's not just that, is it? She's got Penny. What's she going to do to her if we don't comply?"
"At least we know she's safe for now," Grandma said gently. "And she can't have been conditioned like Parker, not if she's trying to warn us about Virgil."
"Ah, yes, Virgil..." Jeff missed his son. Virgil's calm, thoughtful responses would have been more than welcome right now. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about him, not if he's locked up under police guard."
Parker cleared his throat awkwardly. "H'if you'll h'excuse me for saying, Mister Tracy..."
"What is it, Parker?"
"Well, Milady was taken h'even though 'alf of London's security people were there. H'if they can take h'a Prince h'and the rest of 'em, would they really be bothered h'about getting past h'a few coppers?"
Jeff frowned as he considered this. It was unlikely, but then the unlikely was happening far too often lately and he knew he had to at least consider the possibility. "You're right, Parker. We can't assume anything about Virgil's safety."
"What can we do?" Scott asked. "Should I get down to the police station?"
"No," Jeff said. "You can't cover the whole place and I want you to stay safe, Scott. This woman might have unfinished business with International Rescue, but she's got unfinished business with you, too. You won't get away a second time if she catches you, I'll guarantee that."
"H'I've got h'an h'idea," Parker said.
Jeff's eyes lit up as the chauffeur outlined his plan.
"Good man!" he finally said, pleased to have the old Parker back in action. He pulled out his phone and handed it to him. "Go on. Alan, transmit the call for me, will you?"
"I'm International Rescue, not a switchboard," Alan muttered, but he did as he was told. He just hoped they were worrying about nothing, but at least they were doing something practical to help themselves. Now, if they could just find a solution to all their other problems...
"Where are we going?" Penny asked.
"Back to where I hid the helicopter before," Sahara told her. "I'll give the Tracys some time to put the plans together."
"International Rescue might well cooperate given that you're threatening to hurt innocent people," Penny told her. "But the idea that the Tracys are involved-"
Sahara cut across her, clearly not prepared to bother with a discussion. "I'm going to order Jeff Tracy to deliver the plans."
"Not Scott?" Penny asked. "I'd have thought you'd have welcomed the chance to see him again. Or are you afraid he'll get the better of you a third time?"
"Feisty aren't we, all of a sudden?" Sahara smiled. "No, I want the head of International Rescue. I planned to take him at the cathedral - I was none too happy when Sebastian's men left him behind and forced this change of plan. Oh, sorry, Penny - am I spoiling your fantasies of Scott coming to your rescue?"
Penny did her best to affect an indifferent shrug, though it pained her to acknowledge privately to herself that Sahara was right.
"I thought you might have your own plans for Scott," she said.
"Oh, I do," Sahara told her. "But it's not what you think. I can accept when a man's not interested in me - unlike some people. Anyway, I've got my own man to keep me happy."
"Eric?"
"No. Although he might think otherwise. No, Eric's a useful partner in crime, but he's not the man I'm planning on ending up with when all this is over."
"Does he know that?" Penny thought back to the conversation she'd overheard. As much as Eric had complained, he'd still done what Sahara had asked. She was clearly as much in control of the situation there as she was everywhere else.
"Not yet. But he'll get over it. He'll have enough money to go anywhere, do anything. He'll be fine."
Penny wondered. Not about Eric's well-being, but about Sahara's true intentions. There had been a cruel twist to her smile during that last statement.
"He doesn't know about International Rescue?"
"Aren't you supposed to call it my theory about International Rescue?" Sahara mocked. "Oh, don't look so mortified, Penny. We both know the truth. No, Eric doesn't know. If he did I'd never be rid of him - I couldn't risk him taking off and doing his own thing with the knowledge."
"And this other man...?"
"He doesn't know either. But unlike Eric he does what I want without complaining. Actually, it's time I checked in with him. I should speak to Eric, too."
She engaged the autopilot then reached under her seat, pulling out a small case. "Sorry to have to do this again, Penny."
Penny's heart sank as she watched Sahara take out a syringe. She did her best to pull herself free of the restraints, but it was no good and Sahara made quick work of injecting her.
"You know how it works," she said. "Don't worry about it. By the time we're ready to land it will have worn off. But I can't afford to have you blurting out something you shouldn't." Then she put on her headphones so that anything the man on the other end said to her would remain private.
And so Penny could only listen as Sahara spoke to the man she professed to be in love with. Certainly there was a gentleness in her tone that Penny had only heard previously when Sahara had spoken about Freddy McAllister. She listened carefully - just about the only thing that she could do - hoping to get some information which might be useful, but Sahara was careful not to give anything away. All Penny could gather was that everything was going to plan and that the pair were looking forward to being reunited within the next day or so, when Sahara promised that she'd have quite a surprise for her lover.
Then Sahara spoke to Eric Younger. To Penny's surprise she'd burst out laughing at one point, leaving the aristocrat wondering what the man had said to her. Getting herself under control, Sahara insisted that Eric was up to the challenge - and promised him that she'd make it worth his while when she next saw him. Penny wished she could warn the man not to trust her - though why he should need any warnings given how well he knew Sahara, Penny didn't know - but she remained frozen, unable to speak and wondering desperately about what would happen next.
Prison, Virgil thought sullenly, was dull. He'd been apprehensive when he'd been taken down to the cells, but fears of an instant confrontation as gangs of hardened criminals rounded on the rich American they would see as easy prey were allayed when he was put into a cell all by himself. Now, three hours later, he was bored. He had no keyboard, no paints, nothing but his own thoughts - and they weren't particularly pleasant ones. How on earth had he ended up in this situation? Not only was he marked out as a criminal mastermind, but also as a serial womaniser - which he actually wouldn't have minded, had it been true. This trip to London certainly hadn't worked out the way he'd planned...
"You've got a visitor."
The opening of his door and the appearance of a police officer startled Virgil out of the beginnings of a nap. Who could it be, he wondered as he pulled himself to his feet and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His father wouldn't have had time to get over so quickly. Scott, maybe, though Virgil hoped not. His brother could do more good by keeping himself hidden - Tracys seemed to be marked out for trouble right now.
"Your solicitor," the policeman offered, seeing his confusion. "Some papers you need to sign."
Oh well, Virgil thought, any distraction was welcome, and maybe Ms Locke would have some good news for him, like bail.
But it wasn't Marsha Locke who awaited him in the interview room, it was a young woman he'd never met before.
"Don't mind me," the policeman said, taking a seat in the corner of the room. "You need a chaperone with this one anyway, Miss. From what the Inspector tells us, no woman's safe."
"Thank you," the woman said, no trace of humour in her voice. "I'm sure he won't give me any trouble. Sit down, please, Mr Tracy."
Virgil did so, scrutinising the woman's face intently. At first, he'd thought that she was just some associate of his lawyer, but then he'd been hit by a strong sense of recognition, though he could have sworn he'd never met her before. Finally, as she looked at him steadily, almost challenging him to work it out, he got it.
Rosie.
Virgil felt a real admiration for the girl. It must have taken some nerve to come to the very police station where Inspector Garland was based. Still, the man probably wouldn't recognise her, not when she was so effectively disguised. She must be using some of Penny's props. Now he thought about it, he'd seen his friend in that wig before, when she'd been investigating a threat to International Rescue some years ago. Penny must have kept a supply of disguises somewhere other than her apartment, he thought. Maybe at the Dog and Duck. Parker must have been in touch with his niece, which meant that there was some kind of plan already underway. Virgil just hoped it involved him getting out of this place sooner rather than later.
"You need to sign these," Rosie said, handing over some documents which to all intents and purposes seemed to be authorising Marsha Locke to represent him. Virgil took the pen she offered him and scrawled his signature, hastily scanning the text as he did so, hoping to spot some kind of message. But there was nothing.
"It's hot in here," Rosie commented, staring steadily at Virgil. "My mouth's as dry as the Sahara."
Virgil blinked in surprise. Only the presence of the policeman in the corner, oblivious to the message which had just been conveyed, prevented him from reacting more strongly. Sahara? She was the one behind all this? But why? What could the woman want? She probably had a grudge against Penny for besting her in their previous encounter, but that alone wouldn't justify such an elaborate kidnap plot. Virgil looked pleadingly at Rosie, hoping for some further clues, but there was nothing. Rosie got to her feet.
"Your father will be here later," she said. "He's not happy about this, you know." She turned to the policeman. "Mr Tracy's very keen to know that his son's being treated properly."
"He is," the policeman told her. "Got a cell to himself and everything."
"Good." Rosie took what appeared to Virgil to be a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her briefcase and showed them to the policeman. "It's okay to give him these? Mr Tracy thought his son would want them."
Virgil was somewhat surprised, but he played along, announcing that he could kill for a cigarette. He watched somewhat anxiously as the policeman held out his hand for the items, inspecting them carefully before accepting that they were exactly what they purported to be and passing them across to Virgil.
"Thanks," he said, shoving them into his pocket, desperate to get back to his cell so that he could examine them properly. There had to be something the policeman had missed.
"Well, Mr Tracy, I'll be on my way," Rosie told him. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Virgil told her, watching as she was escorted out of the room.
Five minutes later, back in his cell, he was smiling. Waving the flame of the lighter over the cigarette packet had revealed a hidden message written in a hand he knew very well. Before the heat faded, taking the words with it, Virgil read Scott's short account of the latest developments. It was a shock to learn that Sahara had found them out, but at least now some of his questions had been answered. For all the good it would do him stuck in this cell. Scott had finished with a warning: Virgil was to be on his guard, just in case Sahara decided to go ahead with her plan to capture him, unlikely as it might seem.
He emptied the pack of cigarettes and looked at them for a moment before picking up each one and rolling them between his fingers. Half of them were indeed genuine cigarettes, but the others... Virgil snapped the filter off the end of one and pulled it apart. Inside was one of Brains' infamous edible transmitters. Swallowing it down, he felt easier knowing that he could be traced now, wherever he ended up. In fact, he couldn't help hoping Sahara did come after him - not that he enjoyed being taken hostage, far from it, but at least he could do something to help rather than sitting around being driven crazy with boredom.
An hour later he was told he had another visitor. Definitely his father this time, he thought as he followed the policeman back to the interview room, passing a decidedly unhappy-looking Inspector Garland on the way. Maybe his father had managed to bail him out after all, Virgil thought.
But the man who awaited him was unfamiliar, though Virgil immediately knew who he was. Scott's description of the good-looking if slightly plastic man who had captured him at the Dog and Duck had been spot-on. Virgil couldn't help the sudden increase in his heart-rate - whether from nerves or excitement he wasn't sure - as he realised he was looking at Eric Younger.
"James Eastley," Younger said. "MI5." He showed Virgil an ID card that looked absolutely genuine, certainly good enough to fool the police. "We're taking over the investigation. You're coming with me, Mr Tracy."
So this was it, Virgil thought. He was back in the game.