Chapter 4 – Headstrong

Looking towards the door, Michael watched as in some amazement the target of his text message walked through the door, followed by an older man that he recognized as Jefferson Tracy.

Smoothing a hand through his short brown hair, he wondered what kind of luck would bring things together so quickly for him. "Ah, Mister Tracy and Mister Tracy. What can I do for you?"

Alan stepped towards him with a big smile on his face. "I was just telling my dad about how you race cars in the summertime, and that your crew was looking for interns."

This was too perfect. There would be no better way to keep an eye on his target than having him work for his crew, but he could not make this too easy. "Alan, I appreciate your enthusiasm, and yes, I am looking for extra help, but I work my interns hard. We have two old cars that have to be kept in tip top racing shape. That means they need to be cleaned, serviced, and in perfect running order whenever we need them."

Alan smiled once again, and then looked to his father. "I think I can step up for you. I've grown up around one type of engine or another, and have been able to keep them in tip top shape. You can ask my dad."

Jeff cleared his throat as he realized that Alan was asking for his endorsement. "Umm, yes, Alan is familiar around engines, and is interest in racing is something that he has had since he was young."

Michael stepped back and regarded Alan Tracy. There wasn't much else he could bring up, so now came time for a decision. Yes, this would work out perfectly. "OK Alan, the summer racing season starts in a week and a half. Do you know where the raceway is?"

An energetic nod greeted his question, and that sealed the deal. He looked toward Alan's father. There had to be no questions on this matter. "Mister Tracy, did you have any other questions for me?"

Jeff shook his head. From what he could tell, this teacher seemed to be ok. Oh, he would do an extra background check when he returned home, but from what he could see, the teacher seemed devoted to his sport. Mr. Evans had dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans, and a green t-shirt that proudly proclaimed "Edwards Racing".

Jeff offered a hand to him. "Mister Edwards, I appreciate you letting us speak with you before you go to race."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Tracy," Mr. Edwards replied, "As a physics teacher, I have followed your career as an astronaut with much interest. The missions that you got to go on helped advance our space research and development far beyond anything we could have ever hoped for."

"You flatter me," Jeff laughed. "So when does my son have to report to your crew?"

Mr. Edwards turned to face Alan. "I could use you in a week. By then I will have my other three interns notified and we can go over normal routine so we will be ready for race time. Does this meet with your needs, young Mister Tracy?"

His father nearly laughed at the energetic look on his son's face. So he knew now for sure what Alan would be doing for the summer. He only wished that he knew what he would find once he returned to Tracy Island.

As he walked back down the hallway towards the elevators, a thought came to him and he quickly grabbed his phone out of his pocket. The number was on his speed dial, but he would have known the international number by heart even if he had to dial it.

"Dad, who are you calling?"

He turned to his son who had fallen into step behind him. "I just want to check on Lady Penelope's progress, Alan. Why don't you head over to the dorms and pack the last of your things? I will catch up with you shortly."

Alan smiled. "FAB, dad."

Lady Penelope had finished talking to the fire captain on scene, when she saw that Thunderbird Two had glided into the area and was trying to find a place to land. The loud whine of the engines reverberated throughout the area.

That was when unfortunately her cell phone chose to ring. Cursing the timing, Penelope ducked into a nearby tent where the rescue workers were coordinating their efforts. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket and checking the caller ID, she smiled and flipped her phone open to answer it. "You are supposed to be enjoying your son's graduation day."

"Well, the day is pretty much over here, Penelope," Jeff replied to her, "but your night there is probably far from over. How are things?"

She shook her head - where to begin? "Jeff, this place has been truly ravaged. Whatever this group was, they had enough firepower to take on a small army. These people never stood a chance. Our contact is being treated right now for some minor injuries, so I will be able to talk to her in a few, and Thunderbird Two has just landed."

Jeff's voice came though hard yet concerned. "Penny, they used that much firepower to get the Hood out? What possible use could they have for him?"

"That's what we are here to find out," she replied decisively. Just then, Parker ducked into the tent and motioned to her. "Jeff, hold on for a moment, Parker has some information for me."

"Our contact has been released by the medical authorities, milady," Parker imparted once he knew that he had her attention. "If we want to interview her, we best hurry."

"Right," Penelope replied, then turned back to her other conversation. "I have to go. Hopefully we will soon have the answers you are looking for, Jeff."

"Take care, and let me know what you find out."

"As always," Penelope replied. She quickly closed her cell phone and returned it to her pants pocket. She turned to Parker. "Lead the way."

Virgil and Gordon sat quietly at the controls of Thunderbird 2 and surveyed the scene before them. They had a better view of what had happened once they had landed, and what they had seen didn't look good at all.

Gordon was the one who finally spoke up. "You seeing what I am seeing, Virgil?"

Virgil reluctantly nodded. "If you mean the scorch and powder marks on the outside walls of the building, then yeah, I am. You think this is the reason why Lady Penelope was so on edge when she was talking with Scott?"

Gordon remained silent, which caused Virgil to look over at him. "OK, spill it. I know that look. You haven't been this silent since you were stood up at that school dance by your girlfriend at the time – Muffy I think it was?"

"It was Buffy, and I wasn't stood up! I just – knew we needed to see other people!" Gordon retorted. When Virgil wouldn't look away, he finally relented. "Okay, but you have to promise not to tell dad."

When Virgil crossed his arms and continued to stare at Gordon, he sighed. "Ok,Virg, ok. I guess we have gotten way past that point. Lady Penelope is not the only one overly concerned about the Hood. During my last rotation to Thunderbird Five, I found some things to indicate that John has been obsessing over the Hood."

"What?" Virgil couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even their father had stopped his monthly calls to the British Government over six months ago. "What kind of information did you find?"

"He had information about the Hood's movements before his attempt to rob the world's banks." Gordon replied. "John even had recordings that indicated that the Hood was initially affiliated with a rogue military organization bent on world domination."

Virgil scoffed. "That's crazy. Even if that was that's true, why would they just now come break him out?"

Gordon looked out at the scene of destruction. "I don't know. You tell me, brother."

Virgil turned to the onboard computer. "I'm going to try and tap into the facility's computer system and see if we can get any security footage that Brains or John can analyze. The more we know about this group that we are up against, the better."

--

Lady Penelope followed Parker out of the tent and along a pre-set path that the rescue teams had made off to the side of the building. They soon arrived in an area set up for triage, and under the power of torch light, saw that many people were still receiving some form of medical treatment.

Parker led her to an area near the back, and soon they came upon a woman with disheveled hair and torn lab coat. Lady Penelope felt for the woman – the bruises around her face were evident, and a large bandage covered a portion of her forehead. The woman was obviously tense, pacing back and forth in the area.

Parker cleared his throat. "Milady, may I present Dr. Arianna Majors."

Penelope extended her hand to the woman. "I am with International Rescue. You called us about the group that attacked your installation?"

Arianna returned the gesture, grabbing her hand and giving it a firm shake. "Your organization surprises me. I talk to a man, who says he is sending help, and now I am talking to someone who looks more prepared for a magazine cover than field work."

Lady Penelope gave her a coy smile. She had left out of her mansion that evening wearing a simple pink pantsuit made out of a breathable yet durable material Brains had a hand in developing. It looked fashionable, but allowed her to move quickly when called upon. "Looks can be deceiving, as you may well know. You were one of the people studying the Hood?"

Arianna frowned. "I am a psychologist and a profiler. I was employed freelance by the British government to try and see what made Trangh Belagant AKA the Hood tick as it were. He was one of the more interesting cases I had ever encountered, for he had not spoken a word to anyone before tonight."

This fascinated Penelope. "And what was your diagnosis, Doctor?"

Arianna leveled a gaze at her. "How could I make a proper diagnosis? What do you want me to say, that he was a sociopath bent on dominating the world? Well, I can tell you one thing at least – he was surprised to see that group there. I could see it in his eyes. He recognized them, and yet Trangh wasn't exactly happy to see them either."

Back on Tracy Island, Brains sat in a chair in front of the command and control center. It had been only a few hours since they had returned from the car rescue that they had received the call from Lady Penelope about the escape, and this time Brains opted to stay on the island and monitor the situation. On the main video monitor, he was carefully cycling through the security footage Virgil and Gordon had obtained from the detention facility. There really was not that much to see, considering that it was sundown when the facility was attacked. Using enhancing software, Brains could just make out two small tanks along with some ground troops, and each looked like they were equipped with some type of heat or laser technology. Even with the software help, the distinction was hard to make.

He sat back in his chair and sighed, almost wishing that he was with Fermat right now celebrating Alan's graduation.

Fermat had grown up so fast these past few years, and his scientific knowledge helped him to go ahead and advance to a college almost a year earlier than expected. He would have to make a point to visit his son at his apartment sometime soon, especially since Alan was getting set to join him for the summer.

A distinct beeping came through one of the side monitors, and then a familiar hail. "Thunderbird 5 to Brains, come in."

Brains pressed a button to pause the security footage, and then acknowledged John's transmission. 'T-thunderbird 5 this is Brains. Go ahead John."

John's image quickly came into view on the second screen. Brains noticed that he seemed tired, and wondered what was going through his mind.

"Brains, I wondered if you had the chance to review the footage that Virgil and Gordon sent."

He nodded. "Yes, and s-so did S-Scott. He is agreeing w-with your assessment. It looks like the Shadow Force squadron made this s-strike. T-the only thing that makes me n-nervous is what they could want with the Hood."

On the screen, John cast a look off to the side before finally muttering. "I wonder that too."

Brains thought he could hear a nervous tone to John's voice, but dismissed the notion as John simply nearing the end of his three month rotation. "S-Scott is on his way to the danger zone now. I-I'll make sure he remembers to get Gordon back here soon so that he can come and r-relieve you for his rotation."

John sighed. "I am really looking forward to that - Gordon probably not so much, especially when he finds out Alan is not coming home for the summer." He then chuckled. "Maybe I am just getting too paranoid up here. Call me when Thunderbird Three launches, will you Brains?"

The scientist smiled. "FAB."

Many apologies. I was at parent's house for the weekend, and I didn't bring the writing to work on. :( The old saying goes - If I was organized, I would be dangerous.

Well, we know the name of the group that broke the Hood out of jail, and Mr. Evans has made his plans. Find out more about Shadow Force and their plans, along with Alan moving in with Fermat - all in the next chapter.

Till later,

Time Guardian