Chapter 5 – Keep Holding On
Jeff arrived at the dormitories as the sun was sinking low in the sky.
He had made the journey more than once, and remembered when he had first brought Alan to this place. It was by some minor miracle that he managed to squeeze in the time for it, but Alan had remained distant and aloof about the whole thing.
What a difference a few years make.
He entered the tall stone building and after checking in at the main desk, Jeff headed up the flight of stairs. His son's room was beside the stairs, and he slowly walked towards it.
The door was open, and Jeff could see that the room was bare save for the desks and beds that were there originally at the start of the term. Alan was standing at the foot of his bed, loading a duffel bag full of clothes.
Knocking on the doorframe, Jeff smiled as his son turned around. Alan was growing taller by the day, and was almost eye to eye with him already.
He cleared his throat. "Alan, are you ready to go?"
Alan stood in place for a second before finally replying. "Yeah, sure dad. I have my clothes packed and ready for the over to Fermat's place. How are things at the danger zone?"
Smiling, Jeff ran a hand through his hair. "Now there's nothing there for you to worry about. Shouldn't you be focusing on how you are going to impress Mr. Edwards when you meet up with him again?"
Alan groaned. "Don't remind me. I have to study up on some race videos I have to get an idea of Mr. Edward's cars and get ideas on how to make them run faster and then-"
Laughing, Jeff smiled wanly as he was definitely feeling his age. Kids grow up so fast, and Alan was the last one to strike out on his own. Well, he would make sure that his son gets an evening that he would never forget.
"C'mon Alan. The room I have at the Hotel has an extra bed. How about your old man buys you dinner and we spend one last night together?"
--
In the depths of the South Pacific Ocean, a large plateau of rock sat on an undersea shelf. It had been quite large and stable when General X had staked it out as a potential location for a base. It took months of planning and the occasional attack on ships that got too close to their operations, but after a year their undersea base of operations had been finally completed.
Three large clear domes sat on the rock all lined up in a row. Made of a high density plastic polymer, the domes allowed their base to remain underwater, away from the detection from traffic in the sea or in the air. In each dome the General also ensured that each phase of his operations had a place to work. From the area that developed new weapons for the group to a holding area where they could keep any prisoners they acquired, he made sure his group was not without anything crucial to their success.
The last dome was established a docking area for submarines via a tube and airlock, and it was there that General X awaited the return of his group that had been sent to retrieve the Hood.
A formidable man, General X had honed his body to the point where he had become incredibly strong, and his deeply tanned skin spoke of the many manuevers and battles he fought under the sun. A firm believer of survival of the fittest, he could easily take on five men his size and not break a sweat, and it was for this reason that he led the men and they followed his orders without question.
Dressed in his dark grey uniform, General X slowly paced back and forth in front of the airlock as he watched a large black submarine manuver around in the water until it was alongside the dome. Moments later, there was a hiss of air and a clank as the submarine made contact with the dome, coming alongside until it stopped in front of the airlock.
Minutes later the airlock opened, and the contingent of his troops that he had sent to the task filed out. At the end of the line was the leader of the operation followed by the object of their operation - Trangh Belagant.
Initially General X had recruited him years ago when there had been a deadly accident at an illegal diamond mine in Malaysia. He found Trangh in his village recovering from injuries sustained after a cave in and very bitter. His brother Kyrano had been rescued along with other villagers that had been working in the mines. Trangh was the last to be helped, but when the villagers had told their stories, including Kyrano himself, the village had shunned him, allowing the authorities to come in and pick him up for what amounted to murder.
The mental backlash that Trangh was able to unleash that day on his captors impressed General X, and was he able to convince Trangh that his services would be well placed carrying through plans for world domination. General X decided to test his new recruit's skill, so he provided him money and his choice of recruits to try and pull off whatever plan he so desired.
That was when he was captured by the Thunderbirds and imprisoned by the British authorities. General X was tempted to leave him in the British prison system to rot, but his current plan called for mind control, so he was in need of the Hood's services, despite how arrogant the man could be. By all rights, the one mission the Hood tried on his own was an unmitigated failure, so he would be keeping a close eye on him.
The Hood glared at his would be rescuer and seethed. For years after he had been first recruited, he sought any opportunity to break off on his own to follow his own plans, the first of which was to repay the one man that he blamed for the start of this whole mess - Jeff Tracy. He had come so close to success when he used the General's resources to try and rob the world banks. His choice of the General's rescruits, Mullion and Transom, they had come in handy as well, but in the end, it still was not enough.
The Hood then decided to bide his time - good things come to those who wait, and his next plan would have to be perfect. Perfection after all took time, but that was before his impromptu breakout from prison.
Well, if he had to make the best of it, so be it.
The Hood reached out with his mind to see if anything in this environment could be manipulated, and that was where he met resistance. Where he could normally reach out with his mind and find almost anyone, it had felt like a wet blanket had been wrapped around him.
Turning around, he glared at the General, who by this time was laughing at his apparent discomfort. "I remember your power, Hood. This entire base is surrounded by a dampening field, and I have guards monitoring every exit. I need your help, but I will keep an eye on you. Never forget that, and you may live."
The arrogance of the man! The Hood tamped down his anger at the thought of trading one prison for another. "I assume it is for something important, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me all of the way down here."
After ordering the rest of his men to disperse, General X motioned to the Hood. "Follow me."
The Hood walked a few feet behind him and observed as the General led him through numerous corridors first through one dome and then another before finally coming to a stop in front of a large room.
He watched as in some amusement as the general pressed a button beside the door, and in response the door slid open.
It was some kind of control room. That much the Hood could tell. The room was big enough for twenty people, but along each wall was a bank of computers and monitors, each showing views of the outside world in different areas. Every few feet along each wall, one of the General's men sat, monitoring the transmissions.
In the middle of the room was a brightly lit table. The Hood noticed that many different drawings and plans were scattered about the table. He recognized many of them as being plans of various different government buildings throughout the world, and had a feeling of what their plans were to be, but decided to play it cool for the moment. "So I assume you have a plan?"
The General walked into the room, stopping at the table with the plans. "The plan is to abduct the world leaders. They will be brought here and that is where you come in. I want you to make them impart the secrets. My Shadow Force was formed to unite the world under MY rule, and to do that, I need access to their innermost thoughts."
So that was his game. The Hood smiled - the Shadow Force of old had not really changed so much. "If you haven't noticed, you have effectively cut off my power. Do you really trust me that little? Why not allow me to take the information from wherever they are?"
General X laughed. "Do you think me that shallow? There's a little matter of ransoms and the strategic placement of my men in key positions. Oh, not to worry, you will be given an unprotected room to work in, but be forewarned - you will go with the plan as dictated, or you will find yourself dead."
The General motioned for him to follow, and then he walked out of the room. The Hood followed closely behind him as they went through a cross hallway until they stopped in front of a new door. Opening the door, the General motioned for him to go inside, adding:
"Your first meeting will be in two hours to go over the details, so don't be late."
The General then turned and left, leaving the Hood to take in his new quarters.
For an undersea base, the quarters seemed little more than the type of room he left at the detention facility. With a big bed in the middle of the room and a table with what looked like a communicator unit on it, he supposed that the General didn't want to give him any ideas beyond the plan on the table.
The Hood then tried one more exploratory search with his mind. After coming back with the same wet blanket feeling that he encountered before, he sat down on the middle of the bed cross-legged, and went into a meditative trance.
So the General would have his eye on him? Well, there was more to him than just his power. The Hood continued turning over the plan presented to him in his mind. General X may need him, but there was more than one way to twist a plan to meet his needs.
We will see each other again sooner than you think, Jeff. Count on it.
--
Apologies all around…real life tried to get the better of me. Things have stabilized now, and I am hoping to get back on a regular schedule with this fic. :) Ah well, the plans of Shadow force are now revealed, we shall see where that will take the boys – next time.