Hour Ten
The following takes place between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on the day Washington, D.C. was destroyed.
09:00:03
Ruth stood horrified as Sergeant Chang dropped to the ground like a rag doll. She looked up and her eyes met Frank's. They stood for endless seconds holding one another's gaze as though Ruth were challenging him to raise that gun to her next.
Before either of them knew what was happening, shots rang out from above as Air Five opened fire on the man who'd just killed a fellow police officer. Dodging bullets, Frank had no choice but to turn and run the other way. Anger burning in her eyes, Ruth made her way to the fallen police officer and knelt beside him. It was more than obvious that Chang was dead. The bullet had hit him right between the eyes.
She looked to the right and saw his gun laying not six inches from his hand. Steely resolve overtaking her, she picked it up, palmed it firmly, and rose to her feet. "I may just be an old lady, but this isn't over yet."
09:01:57
"Jesus!"
"John?"
"Shots fired at Arlington National Cemetery!"
"Is it Jacobs?"
"Hang on...yeah, Air Five's confirming...suspect fired a single shot...officer down...Grandma!"
"Grandma?"
"I don't...I don't believe this. Scott, I just pulled in a live feed from Air Five! Grandma's down there with 'em!"
"I know, John, I know, but what's she doing? Dammit!"
"Air Five...is reporting that...she's got the sergeant's gun! She's giving chase!"
"What the hell is she on?"
"Scott, you've gotta do something, she's gonna get herself killed!"
"Right, I'm nearly at Arlington now. Have you notified Dad?"
"Can't get through to him, Scott."
"Whaddya mean you can't get through to him?"
"John! Scott! Somebody! Come in, please!"
"Penelope?" the brothers said in unison.
"Oh, thank heavens! Something awful has happened to Brains! And Jeff, he's having difficulty..."
"What? What's going on back there, Penny?" Scott roared.
He and John watched Penny turn as Dr. Godfrey came running up to her.
"God, thank God I found you," he panted.
"What's happened?" Penny asked.
"It's Christopher and Dr. Payne. I think...there was an explosion...I was in a radiation suit...I think...God...I think they're dead!"
"No! Brains!" John cried.
Scott had just reached the outskirts of Arlington National Cemetery and could see the abandoned squad car with both front doors hanging open. "Penelope, what about Dad?"
At that moment, they all heard Jeff begin to mumble. Penny moved the watch closer to his face. His eyes were closed and a thin sheen of sweat covered his brow.
"Kyrano," he whispered, "Kyrano...Tin-Tin..."
"Jeff!" Scott called out, mindful of his passenger's presence. "Jeff, can you hear me?"
"Jeff," Penny said, gently shaking his shoulder. "Jeff, wake up, please."
"Kyrano," he continued to moan, "Tin-Tin...submarine...deep sea...seizures...the Hood..."
"The Hood?" John exclaimed.
"Hang on, John. If I didn't know better, I'd say Kyrano was talking to him."
"What?"
"I'm serious. Listen."
"The Hood...coming...Gordon...in danger...Tin-Tin..."
"Jesus Christ!" Scott yelled. "I see her! I see Grandma!"
"Where is she?" John asked.
"Oh, God! She's chasing him! I can see him! I can see Jacobs! I'm going in lower. Shit!"
"Penny," John said, "how's Dad?"
"He looks like he's coming out of it now. Dr. Godfrey, are you certain Brains and Dr. Payne are dead?"
"No, but the smoke...God, I ripped the hood of my suit off as soon as it happened and I couldn't stand it, I started choking. They were just lying there. Payne was on his back, he was the one operating the arms when it happened...there isn't anything left of his face!"
"And Brains, what about Brains?"
"I-I don't know. He was lying facedown, I couldn't tell if he was okay or not. It looked like his clothes got burnt."
Jeff pulled himself to a sitting position. "Penny?" he said uncertainly.
She was instantly kneeling beside him, wiping his brow with her handkerchief. "Jeff, Jeff, are you all right?"
He shook his head, desperately trying to clear the fog from his mind. "Yes, I-I think so. Penny, it was Kyrano! Kyrano was speaking to me!"
"Oh, man...Dad!"
"Scott?"
"I'm coming in over Jacobs now. The chopper's giving me airspace," he relayed with no small measure of surprise in his voice. "No! He's raising his gun at Grandma! Goddammit, no!" He flipped open the external com and cried, "Grandma, stand down! Stand down now!"
Scott open his weapons hatch and lowered the automatic turret. He fully intended to take the bastard out before he could fire. Air Five also moved in and was firing on Jacobs before it even got close. But Jacobs was well-covered, at least temporarily, by a small overhang on a cement vault. Even as he crouched beneath it, however, the concrete began chipping away under the efforts of the police.
Jacobs, faced with an armed woman on the ground, a police helicopter firing like mad, and a huge silver rocket plane with an automatic weapon at the ready, knew he was done for.
"I'm not going out alone!" he cried as he raised his gun and squeezed the trigger.
Megan could only watch in awe as Ruth lifted her weapon with both hands and pointed it directly at Jacobs. When a single shot rang out, it wasn't Ruth Tracy who fell.
"What's happening?" Jeff bellowed, rising to his feet as the sound of Air Five's weapons ceased.
"She shot him," Scott said simply, unable to believe his own eyes. He retracted the turret and closed the weapons hatch almost by rote. "She damn well shot him."
"Well, I'll be," breathed John.
"Scott, you get down there and pick Grandma up now! Dr. Godfrey, what's this about Brains?"
"They were mixing the C-60 and nitrozine, Mr. Tracy. Lady Penelope called and Chris...ah, Brains...turned away from the Chamber. It must not have been sealed properly, the next thing I knew it exploded!"
"John, have you found that sub yet?"
"I'm rechecking the last quadrant now, Father. Looks like we might've come up with something. I've got the computer trying to verify ID."
"All right. Now, listen. Tin-Tin and Gordon are in real danger. I don't know how he got involved in all this, but The Hood's found out where they are. We need to launch Thunderbird 4 immediately. But first I've got to check on Brains. Come on, Penny."
They raced to the elevator with Dr. Godfrey, praying they weren't too late.
09:20:42
Gordon had been listening to the steady sounds of Tin-Tin breathing as his mind raced, trying to come up with a way out of their predicament. A couple of times she'd stirred, mumbling something he couldn't hope to understand. Now she rolled over, her head landing on Gordon's hand, which was palm-flat on the floor. He frowned as he felt something oddly cold against his skin. Lifting her head, he reached over with his other hand and felt her hair. It was then that he found it.
"Tin-Tin! You're a genius!" he crowed. He rose to his feet in triumph and headed for the locked door. In his hand, he held a single bobby pin. "This'll get us outta here, or my name's not Gordon Tracy."
09:22:14
The Hood turned his cargo jet due south. He was on final approach to Port Moresby, a large shipping town on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. From there he would launch his subjet into the Pacific, and then make his way to the submarine he sought, whose coordinates had changed slightly from before.
"It won't be long now, Acronym. You have less than two hours to make your peace with this world." He laughed as he lowered his landing gear. "And as for you, my niece, I quite have other things in mind. Your father would not join me...but perhaps you will."
09:24:28
"Grandma!" Scott called out through his external speakers. "Run forty feet to your left as fast as you can!" He turned Thunderbird 1 around and headed for the clearing he'd seen as he was flying over. "Shit! The cops!" He flipped the external com on again. "Hurry!" He looked down at Megan, who was watching Ruth run faster than she'd ever thought a woman her age could. "Meg, quick, get back to the side hatch and get it open, key in 54693!"
"Right!" she said, unstrapping herself from the seat. She made her way back to the midsection just before the cargo hold. Keying in the numbers Scott had given her, she was more than relieved when the door slid open. Scott landed the Bird with ease and Megan lowered the ladder as she bent down and peeked out through the opening. She could see Ruth about twenty feet out, huffing and puffing, her face red from the effort. Before Megan could even call out to her, Ruth stumbled and fell, sprawling face-first into the grass.
"Grandma!" she cried. She slid to the edge of the hatch and dropped to the ground, then ran to the older woman's side.
"Megan!" Scott called out, racing back to the open door. "What happened?"
Having reached Ruth, Megan turned her over and found she'd lost consciousness. "Damn!" she swore as she hooked her arms beneath Ruth's armpits. She'd begun dragging her back toward Thunderbird 1 when Scott dropped out of the hatch and met her halfway.
"Grandma!" he cried, moving to pick up her feet. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know, but we'd better get outta here. The police are almost on us."
"You there! Halt!" a voice yelled from the distance.
"Get up inside, Meg, I'll lift her up to you."
"Right." She climbed up the ladder and rolled over onto her belly, her arms hanging out of the hatch. Scott, having picked Ruth up at the waist, hoisted her tiny frame upwards. Meg grabbed her arms and pulled her all the way up, with Ruth landing right on top of her.
Scott was inside in two steps. He quickly retracted the ladder and sealed the hatch door. "Get her strapped in, I've gotta get us outta here now!"
Megan pulled Ruth over to a chair and secured her, then took her own seat and buckled in. Moments later she heard the rocket fire and felt them lifting off into the air.
"This is Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 5."
"Right here, Scott."
"We've got to get Grandma to the hospital."
"How is she?"
"I don't know, she passed out trying to make it over to us. Megan's back in the hold with her now. What I don't get is why the police wanted us to stop. They gave me airspace when I first arrived."
"You're a little imposing in that flying contraption of yours, you know. Where's Air Five, anyway?"
"They landed right after Grandma shot Jacobs. They were the ones coming after her when she collapsed."
"Well, she did shoot a man. Maybe they just wanted to interrogate her."
"They have to know Grandma shooting Jacobs was self-defense. Anyone with half a brain could see that."
"Scott! Computer's just verified, unidentifiable submarine sitting fifty miles east of the Lau Group of islands, Fiji!"
"My God, she's so close to Base! How deep is she?" Scott asked as he brought Thunderbird 1 in to land on Arlington Hospital's helipad.
"485 feet, Scott, holding steady."
"All right. When Dad calls in with news about Brains, let him know. I've just landed at the hospital. Megan and I are taking Grandma in now."
"F.A.B."
09:37:54
Dr. Gray stuck his head into the OR. "How's it going, Shea?"
A balding man in his fifties raised his head from where he'd been working on Virgil's leg. "Not bad, Gray. Boy, you sure handed me over a tough one!"
"I know. Need some help?"
"No, I think I've got things under control. About another twenty minutes and we'll be able to close him up. I'm having some x-rays developed right now, I want to make sure he didn't break any bones in the fall."
"Great. I'll-"
"Dr. Gray, report to ER stat!"
Gray glowered at the PA speaker above his head, then closed his eyes and let out a whoosh of air. "Sorry, Shea, gotta run. No rest for the weary."
Dr. Shea nodded his head and returned to his work. "Just a few more tendons to tie up and we'll have your leg as good as new, young man."
09:39:09
Gordon opened the bobby pin until it was shaped like the letter L. "This works in the movies. Let's hope it works in real life, too," he said as he stuck the end of it into the lock. Using it as his guide, he felt around inside for the mechanism that would release the door. "Ah...there...there it is," he said as the pin scraped across a protrusion. "It's set back in there good, though."
He removed the pin and bent one side of it outwards, using his fingers to gauge whether or not it was at the right angle. Satisfied with his work, he maneuvered the pin into the hole again. He straightened his end slightly to afford him a better advantage at getting the bent end where it needed to be.
"Come on, baby, come on," he said. The minutes ticked by and Gordon started to wonder whether or this kind of thing actually did work in the real world. He was about to get his answer. He heard a loud CLICK! and jumped in surprise. "No way," he breathed. Reaching out, he grabbed the latch handle and pulled it down.
It was unlocked.
09:43:33
Scott breezed into the Emergency Room, his grandmother in his arms. Megan was right next to him as Dr. Gray burst into the ER.
"Dr. Gray!" she called out, waving an arm.
He ran over to them. "Ruth!" he exclaimed when he saw whom Scott was carrying. "God, what happened?"
"She collapsed while running," Megan replied as Scott laid her on a gurney. "She's been through an awful strain."
"Can you help her, Doctor?" Scott asked, smoothing her hair away from her face.
"Let me check her out," he said as he placed a stethoscope to her chest with one hand while taking her pulse with the other. "Damn, pulse is thready and her heart's skipping around like it's playing hopscotch. Nurse!"
"Oh, God," Scott breathed.
Megan grabbed his arm and pulled him back as two nurses appeared. One of them brought an oxygen tank over and covered Ruth's mouth and nose with a mask. The other attached heart monitor electrodes to her chest and turned on the machine. Dr. Gray flashed a penlight into her eyes and bit his lip.
"Jane, set me up a saline IV. Kate, I want her prepped for a brain scan."
"A brain scan?" Scott asked, pulling away from Megan's grasp. "Why?"
"I'll be frank with you, um, Mr..."
"Scott," Megan offered.
"Right. Scott. Her pupils aren't dilating properly. I want to make sure there's no damage I should be aware of. Barring that, I'd say she's probably dehydrated and has a medium-severe concussion. But all in all, I think she'll be okay."
Scott sighed in relief and was surprised when Megan pulled him into a hug. He found himself hugging her back, then pulled away as a strange feeling came over him.
"Scott?" she said. "What is it?"
His eyes took on a faraway look as he whispered, "Virgil."
Before Megan could even get the next word out of her mouth, he was gone.
09:48:07
"Brains!" Jeff cried as he entered the lab. Dr. Otayuki had pulled the unconscious scientist out of the second lab room and into the first and to Jeff's horror was now standing over him with a large knife. "What are you doing?"
Dr. Otayuki grinned like Cheshire cat. "I'm getting rid of the one person who can stop Acronym," he replied.
"You work for Acronym?" Penny gasped. She tried coming around to stand next to Jeff, but he pushed her back behind him.
"That is correct, madam. You are such fools. So trusting. He's been planning this for years!"
"If you kill him, you'll never make it out of here alive. You must know that." Jeff's voice was steady as he spoke, in stark contrast to the fear he felt inside.
"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Mr. Tracy. You haven't quite thought of everything."
Suddenly it dawned on Jeff...Godfrey. Where was Godfrey? He turned his head just in time to see him out the corner of his eye. From his hand, a metal blade glinted the light. He looked at Otayuki, who stood with knife poised to strike his engineer a fatal blow. Then he turned back toward Godfrey, who was advancing, his own knife raised high.
Penny leaned forward, her lips nearly touching his ear, and whispered, "Now!"
Jeff sprang at Otayuki full-force, flying headlong into the younger man's torso. They tumbled to the ground and scuffled, with Jeff on top punching his face repeatedly with one hand while the other grappled for the knife.
Simultaneously, Penny swung around and high-kicked the knife out of Godfrey's hand. It sailed across the lab and clattered down into a group of beakers. Jeff looked askance at them, only to see Godfrey tackle Penny to the floor. His attention back on Otayuki, he slammed his hand onto the floor time after time after time until at last the knife flew from his grasp. With one last right hook to the face, Otayuki was rendered unconscious.
Knife in hand, Jeff headed for the tangle of bodies not five feet away. Penny and Godfrey rolled round and round on the floor. At last, Jeff saw his opportunity and jabbed the knife into Godfrey's back, just to the side of his shoulder blade. The man howled in pain and staggered to his feet, twisting his arms in an attempt to dislodge the knife.
Jeff pulled Penny up next to him. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded, dabbing at her bleeding lower lip.
"Jeff! Look out!" Penny dove across him, wrapping her arms around his neck, as Godfrey raised his knife and struck, driving it deep into the flesh of her back. She screamed in pain before going limp in his arms.
"No! Penny!" He lowered her to the floor, sinking down with her, cradling her in his arms. "No," he whispered, holding her tightly, his lips against her hair. "No, Penny, no."
Just in front of them, Godfrey's half-smile turned into a grimace as he fell to his knees in a pool of his own blood. He grunted in pain before keeling over, landing on the floor with a sickening thud.
Jeff looked away from the unseeing eyes of their former ally. He couldn't help the tears that escaped his own eyes as he turned Penny's face toward his. "Penny, come on, don't do this to me. You can't. Please. Stay with me."
A loud moan from his right made Jeff turn. To his surprise, his engineer was coming to. "Brains! Help me!"
Brains groaned and struggled to roll over, then pushed himself to his hands and knees. It took a moment for his eyes to focus. The room seemed to be tilting slightly and his body hurt like hell. "M-M-Mis...Mist...Mister..." he stammered. Finally giving up, he just said, "Jeff?"
"Are you okay?" Jeff asked, looking back down at Penelope.
"Uh...think...so..." he groaned, pulling himself to his feet. Then his vision cleared and he saw the knife in Penny's back. "Oh, my God!" he cried, racing to kneel behind her. "What happened?"
"Help me, Brains. Don't let her die. Please don't let her die."
09:59:58
09:59:59
10:00:00