Chapter 3 – Anything But Ordinary

Crown Detention Facility, London

The leader made no move to indicate that he had heard the Hood. Instead, he stepped into the now damaged doorway of the cell and motioned out the way that his group had come in.

The Hood nodded once, and then got to his feet. "Very well then, it will be good to see General X again. Lead the way."

Turning, they exited his cell and walked back to join the main group. They turned to go when the Hood held up one hand. "A moment if you please, gentlemen."

As they paused, the Hood walked over to where Arianna stood. "You know, of all of the people that came in here blathering at me to reveal my life, you were the most beautiful. You could come with me you know. I could truly show you what makes me tick."

Arianna's training as a psychologist and criminal profiler kicked in. Part of her wanted to acquiesce to his request and come with him and - oh God her mind did a mental retch as she realized that those thoughts were not her own. Whatever protections the lockup had against the Hood's power were gone now. She forced herself to back away.

The Hood chuckled. "I'm either weak from my stay, or you have a strong mind. No matter." He held out a hand and slowly caressed her cheek, making her flinch. "If you will do me the honor of finding a radio transmitter and tuning it to any channel you like. After all, they will be listening."

At her obvious confusion, he laughed. "Ah, but I have yet to tell you who I want you to contact – that would be International Rescue, the Thunderbirds, whatever you want to call them. They monitor all communications, and will be sure to listen out for someone in distress."

"And what am I supposed to say? A madman has escaped and to catch you if they can?" she retorted.

The Hood retaliated against her statement with a mental backlash that sent her sprawling to the floor with a groan. Afterwards, he got on his knees down to her level. "Actually I have a very specific message. If you agree to deliver it, you will be allowed to live. So what do you say, Doctor Majors?"

John Tracy leaned back in his chair from his communication post in Thunderbird 5, and sighed. Times had recently grown all too routine. It was getting to be the same – an hourly check of the systems, a cross check of the news reports from around the world, and then a call home to Tracy Island. Only on rare occasions would he get a call that would send International Rescue into operation. The last big rescue operation had been when space debris had hit the International Space Station. It had taken the whole family including Alan and Fermat monitoring from below to rescue the astronauts and help them affect the necessary repairs, but that had been near the beginning of his recent rotation.

Beggars couldn't be choosers, but John swore that if it weren't for the three month rotation, he could very well drift off from boredom. At the very least, the rescue of the car passengers from the canyon had been a good workout of their skills. Well, maybe he could get his mind off things by working on the Astronomy article that he was writing and-

A squawk from a nearby communications console roused him from his thoughts, and John got out of his seat to check it out. The state of the art computers were set to scan all possible communications channels for the words 'International Rescue' or 'Thunderbirds.'

So, someone is talking about us. Let's see who it is.

John let his hands drift over the controls of the communication board, making the necessary adjustments until he brought the transmission that he wanted to filter through.

It had been a weak radio transmission, which seemed archaic at best, considering the technology of the day. John tweaked the controls as he struggled to get the static to clear from the transmission. Finally he could make out the plea for help. "Calling International Rescue. This is Dr. Arianna Majors of the Crown detention Facility calling International Rescue, come in please!"

Crown Detention Facility? His senses went on high alert when he realized who was calling. John quickly hit a switch on his panel and spoke. "Crown Detention Facility, this is International Rescue. We read you loud and clear. What is happening?"

He could almost hear an audible sigh come over the line. "Thank God I have finally reached you. There is major trouble going on here. A military extremist group of some kind has broken the Hood out of jail."

As John listened to her explanation of what had occurred, he grew paler by the moment. What had just happened meant that the world and International Rescue were both in jeopardy. As he signed off with the promise of getting in touch again, John turned to make the necessary call to authorities to go help out the victims of the attack on the facility.

Once that was done, he turned to make the call he had been dreading. It had been years since they had faced the Hood, and his father would probably give him a lecture for keeping such an obsessive track of where the British government was keeping a madman like that, but now that madman was loose- and with help no less.

John turned back and sat back down in his chair in front of his main communication console. His father would no doubt be at Alan's graduation ceremony, John thought grimly as he made the connection.

"Thunderbird Five to Tracy Island, come in. Emergency."

At Wharton Academy, decorum and ceremony were over. Alan Tracy clutched at his diploma like a prize, and was more than ready to shed the cap and gown the ceremony had dictated. Looking around, he could see his father Jeff Tracy making his way through the throngs of happy students and parents celebrating the life change, and he waved to him. "Dad, over here!"

Jefferson Tracy was proud of this moment. He had initially been concerned when his son had a one track mind so long ago when he wanted to become a member of International Rescue. It had taken near tragedy to show all of them that Alan did have what it took to become a member of International Rescue, and in the following years, he had shown his son quite a few aspects of the operations of IR. Alan could feasibly come back home to the island tomorrow and be able to man almost any ship that he wanted to.

But it was summertime in Massachusetts, and Jeff wanted his son to enjoy a well earned summer vacation. He figured it was only fair, and each of his sons had been given the opportunity and the privilege when it came time for them. Jeff smiled inwardly though – he had a pretty good idea of what Alan was going to choose.

Alan ran up to his dad and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. "I did dad, I finally graduated. No more headmasters, no more report cards-"

Jeff laughed and groaned as he disentangled himself. "Leave it to you to find the benefits of this all. I am very proud of you Alan. You have worked hard and proven yourself."

Alan smiled. He thought of the opportunity that lied ahead for him, but suddenly he was reluctant to speak up. Would his dad appreciate his need to go out and find his niche in life?

He had finally decided to say something when his dad decided to beat him to the punch.

"Alan, listen. You have a whole summer ahead of you and umm-"

Alan took a breath – well, he better get it out now for his sake "Dad, about that-"

Their thoughts collided and they both came out with what they wanted to say.

"I think I need some time off-"

"I think you need to take a vacation-"

They both stopped as they realized what each other had said.

Laughing, Jeff put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Well it seems that we both have the same idea. There is plenty of time to be thinking of college and all, and International Rescue can wait a little while for its newest recruit. I want you to be able to enjoy the summer, because once you are ready, there's a lot of work to be done."

Alan's emotions ran high as he realized what his father had said, but at the same time he groaned. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. I actually had something in mind. Where's Fermat? Maybe we can discuss it over an early dinner?"

"Dinner sounds like a good idea son. Let's go-"

Jeff was ready to turn towards his car when his cell phone trilled from its resting place in his vest pocket. He quickly grabbed it out of his pocket, and grimaced when he checked the caller ID. It was the secure IR line, only to be used in emergency. "Ah, talk about bad timing. Let me take this real quick."

He pressed a button on his phone, and quickly spoke into it. "I'm here."

Alan watched as his father's face went through a myriad of emotions while acknowledging the conversation. "What? When? I see. Contact Lady Penelope and make sure that she assesses the site and makes contact with the person who contacted us to see what they know. Put Gordon, Virgil, and Scott on alert and let them know that they may be called upon by Lady Penelope for assistance. Okay, I'll leave here as soon as I can. Take care, John."

No doubt about it, something was up. As Alan watched his father put his phone back into his pocket, he could swear that lines of worry were starting to crease his father's features.

"Is everything ok, dad?"

Jeff gave him an uneasy look. "Fermat is waiting on us back at my car. Let's go eat that early dinner and I will tell you all about it."

--

In the darkness, FAB-1 had pulled into the parking lot of what had been the Crown Detention facility. Aloysius Parker, Lady Penelope's right hand man, was driving and at the same time fighting to stifle a yawn. They rarely received calls in the evenings save for the occasion formal situation, so when Lady Penelope had summoned him to the garage this night, he wondered what the fuss had been all about.

Lady Penelope's exclamation summed it up best when they got a full view of the destruction. "My God."

Indeed, save for the opposite walls of the building, the entire middle part of the facility was gutted. Rescue vehicles were scattered about the scene, and judging by the cordoned off area to the side, there were apparently numerous casualties being checked out by various doctors. Parker was at a loss. "What could have done this, milady?"

Being an agent of International Rescue, Lady Penelope had knowledge of various extremists groups working around the world due to their tendency of causing many incidents of destruction. The strange thing was that there had been no talk of anything on this scale from any of her sources. "I wish I knew, Parker. The first I heard of this was John's call to us tonight. There are scorch marks and blaster marks all over the place from what I can make out, but this rubble seems to be hampering rescue efforts. We need the boys here, and fast."

From her vantage point in the back seat, Lady Penelope pressed a button on the back of the seat facing her. In response, a small square panel hissed open on the back of the seat, revealing a computer touch panel. She touched the communication option and spoke quickly. "Lady Penelope to Tracy Island, come in please."

Moments later, a familiar face appeared on her screen. "Tracy Island receiving you. Dad told us to expect your call – how bad is it?"

She took a long breath before answering. "It's pretty bad, Scott. The entire middle of the building is gone, and judging by the rescue efforts, the workers are being hampered by all of the rubble. I am going to go check out the area and try to find the person who called us, but you better have Virgil and Gordon come straightaway with Thunderbird 2 and bring the mole with them."

"FAB Lady Penelope, I'll let them know."

Scott's image disappeared from her screen, and Penelope pressed a button again to close the panel. Looking back over the remains of the complex, she knew they had their work cut out for them. "Parker, get us as close as you can. I want to talk to the rescue officials."

--

In a seafood restaurant not far from the school, Alan sat between his father and his friend Fermat. They had ordered a large platter of crab legs, and soon they were about halfway through their meal.

"I-I would like to thank you, Mr. Tracy," Fermat smiled as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "This w-was a good meal."

Alan laid his utensils down. Despite his intentions, he had one other thought on his mind. "Okay dad, now will you tell me what has been bothering you all afternoon?"

Jeff sighed as he looked at the two boys-no, teens surrounding him. They grow up so fast, and they did have a right to know. After all, they did have a big hand in getting the Hood captured. "You're right, Alan. Earlier today, the Hood escaped from the detention facility he was in."

Alan was shocked. "What? How?"

His father put a finger to his lips. "Shh, quiet down. There was a military type group that attacked the facility and got him out. John is still checking his sources, and I have Lady Penelope checking as well, but they were quick, efficient, and they knew what they wanted. The Hood is the only person or thing missing from the facility."

Alan began to push away the proposal of a fun filled summer. "Dad, if you need me to come back to the island right away-"

Jeff shook his head and smiled. "No son, this is your time, and besides, it is early in the investigation. I wouldn't be fair if I didn't give you the same chance your brothers were given. Besides, judging by your behavior this afternoon, you sound like you already have a plan in the works. Would you care to fill me in on what it is?"

Alan looked at his friend excitedly before turning back to his father. For the first time in a while, he truly felt like they were on the same wavelength. Smiling, he dove in and made his pitch.

"Well, since Fermat is attending college not too far from here on a scholarship, I have been scouting around and have found a raceway only twenty miles from here that has race crews that need interns. Some of them even allow the interns to become backup drivers! What do you think?"

Jeff grinned. The only other thing that Alan had ever expressed an interest in other than International Rescue was racing. There had been many a time that when he was home on break that he would find Alan glue to the television, watching one race or another. The one thing that Jeff realized was that even with his youngest son, there was still a lot to learning to do. Alan had proved himself that one spring break when the Hood nearly destroyed them, all in the name of stealing the wealth of the world banks. As a result, Alan had performed many training scenarios over the past few years, and Jeff was satisfied that his youngest was on the right track, though he couldn't help but be a little anxious about this current 'track' his son wanted to explore.

He put a hand on Alan's shoulder. "That's great son. Do you have any contacts there? Maybe I can help-"

Alan held up his hand. "In this case dad, I did my homework, so it's all cool. Mister Evans, one of the Physics teachers at the academy, moonlights as a driver during the summer season, and has need of an intern on his crew. I have talked with him at length as to what would be involved, and he said as long as I get your permission, I am in."

"Smart man," Jeff replied, "well, I don't see why not. You have been interested in racing since you have been old enough to watch it on television. I only have two questions though, how soon will they need you to report there, and where are you going to stay?"

Fermat chose to speak at that point. "Well, Mr. Tracy, as part of the college s-scholarship I obtained, the school has provided an apartment near campus, and there is enough room there for a roommate."

"It's secure, key card access only, and the place is monitored by advisors on each floor, dad, so it will be safe." Alan added, "So what do you think?"

Jeff laughed at the obvious double-teaming that the both of them were doing. "It sounds safe enough, but Fermat, I don't suppose you have run this by your father yet?"

"A-actually Mr. Tracy, I talked to him about it this morning before I came to see the graduation ceremony. He said as long as it was okay with you-"

This time Jeff held his hands up in surrender. He had to hand it to Alan to be passionate enough about a plan like this. "OK, ok, I get it, the way I see it, as long as I get to talk to Mr. Evans and you two are safe and secure, that is the main thing I am concerned with."

"Actually, Mr. Evans should still be at school prepping his things to head off campus, dad," Alan piped up. "He doesn't teach during the summer term, so he usually packs up his stuff and races full time during the summer."

"Then let's go see Mr. Evans then," Jeff declared as he signed for the check for their meal that their server brought over. "If you are going to be spending the summer working around him and his equipment, I want to know what type of man he is."

--

Michael Evans was a man determined. Another school term was over at the school at least, so it was another round of packing up his reference materials and important papers so that he could race for the summer. He was ready to finish packing the last of his things when the opening lines of Beethoven's fifth symphony came through his cell phone on the nearby table.

It couldn't be...after all of this time. That was the tone that he had assigned to certain types of text messages when they came through, and that could mean only one thing. Michael dove for his cell phone and checked for text messages.

There had only been one, and its intent was clear. ACTIVATE. KEEP TABS ON ALAN TRACY AND REPORT.

It had been close to a month since he had been approached by the group. He didn't even know the name of their group, and barely could recognize anything memorable about the operative that made contact with him, but the promise was clear - the promise of money and power. For a man eeking out a living and racing second hand cars in the summer, visions of Porsches and Maseratis racing down European streets was a temptation too great to ignore. Smiling, he placed the cell phone back into his pocket and grabbed for the last of his papers. The only thing now was to figure out how to pull off the request made of him.

A knock on the door interrupted his thinking, and he dropped the papers in a fit of nervousness. "Come in!"

You never know where you are going to find an enemy. See you next time.