Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds belong to other people. And the line from the 3 Doors Down song "Landing in London" that is quoted belongs to the band and is off their CD "Seventeen Days"
I'll use your light to guide the way.
-3 Doors Down "Landing in London"
Chapter Six: The Hard Road to Salvation
Salvation: 1. saving or being saved. 2. saving of the soul (Webster's New Pocket Dictionary)
Virgil wanted The Hood not only for himself, but also for his family. He knew that if he could at least send The Hood back to jail, it would mean that his family was safer. One day, he took a break from the computer since he wasn't getting far. So he went out and bought some art supplies, and used his time wisely. His memories of his time with The Hood between his being kidnapped and shooting John were broken. So he drew what he could remember from his dreams. He nearly exhausted himself with his drawings, but he drew everything he could remember. But the pictures didn't make sense immediately. Then he realized that he was dealing with a real-life jigsaw puzzle. So he worked to organize the pictures into a more coherent order. And he was stunned and scared with what he saw.
Men, dressed in black, were all over a tropical island…he saw his family in bonds. And he saw The Hood in his craft…again. The thought sickened him. His family was in danger, and he had work to do. He went right back to the computer, this time searching for the two names he knew of- one of his kidnappers and one of the henchmen. And when he found that they both took flights to Sydney, Australia, he knew he had to act quick. Although his family hated him, he loved them with everything he had. He had to protect them. So he found the first flight to Sydney. He checked in at the airport early, then went to the business lounge where he could continue working while he waited for his flight. During his time at the airport, he found that both men had checked into the same hotel, although they had separate rooms on different floors. So he used the opportunity to check into the same hotel, managing to get a room on the same floor as the henchman.
His flight was soon called, so he put his laptop away, grabbed his backpack and boarded. Since the flight from Prague, Czech Republic to Sydney, Australia was extremely long and required a few changes, he was anxious to get there. He used the flight time to alternatively rest himself and to make a plan.
On the island, Alan received more information from the Czech authorities. Once he had that all together, he got everyone into command so that he could relay it all at once.
"The blood on Virgil's uniform is his type and matches the blood found in the mine. The kidnapper was killed by a single bullet to the heart. And the syringe contained traces of a tranquilizer, but it wasn't used on the kidnapper."
"Virgil?" Jeff asked, more for the syringe.
"Not sure," Alan answered. "But they did manage to find that the chains and shackles were used on Virgil. It's all in the report they sent me."
John's head was in his hands while Scott could only place a hand on John's shoulder. Jeff sat down hard in the chair next to Alan and Gordon was sitting on the floor near the two oldest. So much happened to Virgil and they still didn't know it all.
Once in Sydney, Virgil quickly cleared customs. Then he found a taxi and went to the hotel. He checked in and set up his room to continue working. He sat in the lobby, waiting for either man to come by. It was easy enough for him to hide in plain sight, bleached blond hair and a newspaper were all he needed. It didn't have long to wait since the kidnapper appeared with the henchmen only a few steps behind. So Virgil followed at a safe distance. They walked and used public transport, and Virgil stealthily followed behind.
They went into an abandoned warehouse. After some scouting, Virgil sneaked in and hid himself behind some crates. And his jigsaw puzzle was made even clearer. He knew the plan, he knew he needed to act, and he knew he needed to act quickly. He came in just in time, as they were getting ready to leave Sydney…for Tracy Island.
He didn't have time to come up with a complete plan on the spot. He just had to act and take his chances. He also didn't have the time to find a phone and get a call to the island. He'd lose the crew…and his chance. He watched The Hood and a small group of henchmen leave the warehouse, and the others remained. They were getting themselves dressed and picking their weapons. Since the henchmen were dressing in all black again, and this time they were covering their faces, Virgil knew he had a way in. He found a foot soldier with similar height and build as himself and rendered him unconscious. And Virgil took his place. He realized it was a risky scheme, but it was the best he could come up with.
He got onto the plane with the others. He then realized they would be parachuting onto the island. Once the island was secure and in their control, then The Hood would come over by plane. On the way, he thought long and hard about his own plan. Virgil knew that The Hood needed to be caught again, so he planned to let the henchmen capture the island. Just as long as no one was hurt.
The small propeller plane only held about twenty people, including the two pilots. That made Virgil feel better since there was only the one plane initially, then the other that would be carrying The Hood along with three other henchmen. It was a tense flight to the island, but it was soon over. He soon had a parachute strapped to his back, and he was glad that he'd done that before.
The siege on the island didn't last long. There were just too many henchmen for the island's surprised occupants to handle. In the ensuing chaos, Virgil made sure he made his way up to the island. But as much as Virgil tried, he couldn't ensure his family's safety. Virgil snuck his way into the command area just as the chaos was ending, and managed to stay there to keep watch over his family. He immediately saw that those people on the island without the last name of Tracy were locked away elsewhere. Only Jeff, Scott, John, Gordon and Alan were in the command area when The Hood entered the room. Virgil's eyes settled on John, who seemed to be alright despite being shot not too long ago.
"Well, well, well," The Hood said when he saw John. "Looks like Virgil isn't a good shot after all."
The Hood eyed John for a few moments, then added, "My boy, you do have nine lives. Although I believe you only have seven left."
"What do you want now?" Jeff asked. "You've already driven one of my sons away as it is."
"You must mean Virgil," The Hood said with a laugh. "My guess is that he's killed himself by now. He must have felt a terrible amount of guilt about shooting John. And then being exiled by his own family."
"We've been looking for him!" Alan yelled. "We want him home!"
"Ah, yes, Alan. You want him home…for what reason again? So you all can live in fear of him, wondering if he'll snap again."
"We want him home because he's family and we care about him a lot," Alan told The Hood. "He'll beat whatever it was that you did to him."
Virgil stood by, observing and thinking. He was trying to plan a way to get his family free. The Hood made a signal with his hand, and all but three of the foot soldiers left the room. Virgil stayed behind, deciding to take his chances. But no one noticed that he'd stayed.
"We'll be taking your Thunderbird crafts now," The Hood said. "And there won't be anyone left to stop me. You see, Jeff, you're all going to die quite soon."
"Someone will stop you. Somehow, somewhere, someone will stop you," John said, his voice low and even.
"Who?" The Hood asked. "There is no one left."
"Think again," Virgil spat, taking the mask off of his head. "I'm still here."
The Hood looked over at Virgil, and before he could say a word, Virgil raised his gun and fired. But he hadn't properly planned for the three other henchmen. From the corner of his eye, he saw Scott take one out. Then he aimed again and caught another one.
"It's over now," the third henchmen said.
Virgil saw that he wasn't going to aim at him, but at Alan instead. In a moment of pure adrenaline, Virgil dropped the gun and rushed over. At the same time, Jeff had jumped from his seat and tackled the henchman, knocking him out cold. Virgil crashed to the floor at Alan's feet, unmoving.
Jeff knelt by Virgil's side and placed two fingers on his middle son's carotid artery. There was a small measure of relief when he felt a pulse, but he knew that relief was only temporary. He got Virgil onto his back, and saw blood soaking his abdomen. But there was no way they could get Virgil any help since there were too many henchmen around. Jeff ripped Virgil's shirt off and got dizzy at the sight of Virgil's wound. More to stem the bleeding than to hide the sight, Jeff used the balled up shirt to cover the wound.
Scott picked up Virgil's gun and nearly laughed. "He wasn't going to take any chances. This is a tranquilizer gun."
"So The Hood and that other guy are just unconscious?" Gordon asked.
"Affirmative," Scott answered, then checked to see how much ammunition was left in it. "And I'm going bad guy hunting with it."
"Scott…" Jeff began.
"Dad, he needs help. I'm getting Brains first, then I'll clear a way to the jet."
"I'm going too," Gordon said. "I'll make sure Brains makes it back up here quickly."
Jeff nodded. "Be careful, both of you."
"Always am," Scott replied, then carefully exited the room with Gordon on his heels.
"How is he?" Alan whispered.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Alan. It doesn't look good. We've got to get him to the mainland and fast. He needs expert medical care."
John watched the scene carefully. The brother who put a bullet in him had just taken one of his own. The only difference was, when Virgil put a bullet in John, he had no idea what he was doing. When he took the bullet for Alan, Virgil knew exactly what he was doing.
It took longer than anyone liked, but the jet was soon in the air with Scott and Gordon flying while the others were in the back. Brains and Jeff tended to Virgil while John and Alan could only watch.
Back on the island, Kyrano assisted mainland authorities in detaining The Hood and his henchmen. He told them what Jeff had given him as a cover story. And at the hospital, Virgil was rushed into surgery. All that was left for the others was waiting.