Sorry this one's so short…the next one is quite a bit longer!
Chapter Four
At about the time that Gordon was beginning to scrub the deck of the Sea Bird, Jeff Tracy was hanging up his phone with a tired sigh. He hit a button on his computer.
"Tracy Island to Thunderbird Five," he said.
John's face appeared on the screen, weary but much more calm than the night before. "Go ahead, Dad," he replied.
"I just thought you'd like to know that the Sea Bird is equipped with a state-of-the-art cloaking device," Jeff told him. "I just finished talking with the ship's owner, and it turns out that he likes to live off the grid."
John's expression lightened. "I wondered about that, but it hardly seemed plausible on something like a galleon," he murmured. Then he frowned. "Well, I'm glad to be let off the hook, but that doesn't help us find Gordon. Did the owner have anything to say that might be useful in tracking the ship?"
"Unfortunately, no. Actually, just the opposite – he said that she was stocked up for a long journey, and if the crew is careful with their food and fuel, they won't have to put in to shore for at least a couple more weeks." Jeff scanned his notes. "Oh, he did give me the serial numbers for the ship's radio and the cloaking device. You can't do anything with those, can you?"
"I'll take them," John said promptly. "I'll call the radio manufacturer and see if they install any sort of tracking chips in their products."
Jeff read him the numbers.
John immediately looked more cheerful with something to work on. "Okay, thanks, Dad. I'll let you know if I turn anything up." He signed off.
Hearing shuffling feet, Jeff looked up and wasn't surprised to see that the rest of his sons had filed into the room and had clearly heard the conversation.
"What can we do to help, Dad?" Alan asked.
Jeff sighed. His boys weren't going to like what he had to say. "Unfortunately, not much for the time being," he said.
They all opened their mouths to protest, and he held up a hand to stop them. "Not much," he continued, "except that I want all of you to be ready in case anything does come up. Scott and Virgil, I want you two to check on the airplanes and the helijet. Make sure they're fueled, in perfect repair and fully stocked with emergency supplies. Alan, you do the same with the boats. That way, when we learn the Sea Bird's location, we'll be ready to go in an instant."
"What about the Thunderbirds?" Virgil asked.
"They are an absolute last resort," Jeff told him firmly.
"Four could potentially be the best way to get to the ship unseen," Scott pointed out, conflicting emotions warring on his face. More than any of his brothers, Scott took the secrecy of International Rescue as a personal responsibility – but if it came down to it, the safety of his brothers would always come first.
Jeff stood his ground. "We'll play it by ear, but I remind you that these people know who we are. If the Thunderbirds are seen rescuing Gordon, you all know that there could be serious repercussions."
Scott, Virgil and Alan nodded.
As they turned to leave, Alan asked, "What are you going to be doing, Dad?"
Jeff grimaced. "I'll be working on rounding up five million dollars."
The first part of the day passed quickly, with everyone doing their part to prepare for any eventuality – including Grandma, who coped with the stress by baking up a storm – but during the afternoon and evening, time seemed to slow to a standstill and everyone somehow ended up back in the lounge.
John's research on the radio's serial number had proven to be a dead end, so he had nothing new to report.
The ideas flew back and forth around the lounge, ranging from searching the entire Pacific with the Thunderbirds, to trying to modify Five's scanners to pick up all cloaked vessels.
In the end, they headed to their rooms in tense silence, faced with the discouraging thought that Gordon had been missing for over thirty-six hours and they had not been able to do a single constructive thing toward finding him.