Chapter Six

Her cloaking device engaged, Thunderbird 4 cruised undetected through the ocean's depths. After over forty-five minutes of silence, Jeff turned to face his companion. "I need to know what the hell is going on. What happened to Tracy Island? And to International Rescue? And to my family?"

Dana looked up, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I don't understand. How could you not know? In order to be alive right now, you would've had to have lived through it."

"Listen, all I know is that I was in the lab with my entire family. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the lab, but it's completely destroyed. It's night and pouring-down rain, and everything is in ruins."

Dana frowned. "You seriously have no idea what this world's come to. Do you?"

Jeff shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, Dana began. "Fifteen years ago, your oldest son Scott took Thunderbird 1 to a rescue call on Halmahera Island. It was part of Indonesia. He barely got on the ground when a nuclear missile hit, wiping out him, Thunderbird 1, and the entire native population of that island along with the Moluccas and New Guinea."

That never happened! That's not possible!

"Thunderbird 2 was only ten minutes out and got caught in the shockwave. She crashed into the ocean. The only bodies ever found were those of Virgil and John. It was assumed that Gordon was on board as well, but he's never been located."

This is a bad dream. It has to be.

"Thunderbird 5 was blown out of orbit and disintegrated as it fell through Earth's atmosphere. Within hours, your true identities as International Rescue had been broadcast on every satellite station in the world. Twelve hours after that, Tracy Island was attacked."

It's like a bad novel. She's out of her mind.

"The island put up a good fight, but in the end the king prevailed, killing your friend Kyrano, his daughter Tin-Tin and your mother. He told everyone he'd broken your neck with his bare hands."

"You keep saying the king, and he. He who?"

"The man everybody called the Hood. Now we all know his real name: Belah Gaat."

"The Hood? He's the one who did this?"

Dana nodded, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "After that, the world went to hell. He had your technology, he had access to everything. He used it to build weapons the world couldn't withstand. In only six months, he proclaimed himself the king of Earth. There wasn't any nation left who could resist him."

"Wait a minute. You've mentioned everyone but Brains. What about Brains?"

"Brains? What's that?"

"No, he's not a what. He's a who. He was...is...our engineer. He's the one who invented the Thunderbirds and all the rescue equipment."

"I've never heard that name. Was he on the island?"

"How should I know? This is your story."

Dana unbuckled her harness and leapt to her feet. "It's not a story, goddammit! It's the truth! This is the world I've been living in since I was seventeen years old! Having to fight for food, keep myself hidden from the warriors! If it wasn't for Jared, Zo and James, I never would have survived!"

Jeff watched as she turned her back to him and leaned heavily on the door leading to Thunderbird 4's midsection. "I'm sorry, it's just...this doesn't make any sense to me. None of this has happened, as far as I'm concerned. And my neck certainly isn't broken."

Dana turned to face him. "No. I suppose it's not."

"You say this all happened fifteen years ago."

She nodded.

"What year is it, exactly?"

Brow knitted, she replied, "Twenty forty-eight."

"What?"

"Twenty forty-eight. Why?"

"No wonder I don't know what's going on. Last I knew, it was twenty thirty-three."

"That explains it! You must have partial amnesia!"

Jeff's heart sank. It did seem to be the most logical explanation, but he couldn't fathom not being able to remember his own family members' deaths. Fifteen years was an awful lot to lose. Could it be his mind blocked it out simply because it was too painful a history to recall?

"Where are we going?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. This island's been our haven for the past ten months. I only know of one place that's safe."

"Where's that?"

"I have a friend...or at least, I used to have a friend...who was with one of the rebellious factions. Last I heard she was hiding out with her faction on Boon-Sing Island."

"Boon-Sing? Where's that?"

"About twenty-five hundred miles south of Hawaii. It used to be called Jarvis Island. The factions, and anyone not loyal to the king, still call everything by their old names. But when he took over, he renamed every last inch of this planet."

"The king. I don't believe it. It's like...like I've been asleep for fifteen years. My sons, my mother...twelve hours ago they were as alive and well as you are. Now? I just...I don't know."

Dana crouched down and placed a hand on his leg. "Now that James, Jared and Zo are gone, I've lost everyone I ever loved, too." Jeff nodded and attempted to smile. "They found me beaten in an alley a month after my mother was killed. As a matter of fact, you knew my mother."

"Your mother?"

She nodded. "My last name is Clarke."

"Clarke," Jeff repeated. "Clarke? As in Jen Clarke?"

For the first time since he'd met her, Dana's smile reached her eyes. "You do remember."

"Of course I do. She worked on the rocket we took to the moon. Very intelligent woman. I'm sorry she's gone."

"Thanks. My dad was American. He left when I was three. Mom moved us to Florida so she could work for NASA. The warriors tried to...persuade her to work for the new king. When she refused, they killed her right in front of me. Laser rifle shot to the abdomen."

Jeff laid a hand over hers.

"There was no one more surprised than Mom when she found out you were the one behind International Rescue."

He chuckled. "She had some pretty fancy ideas about making rocket ships go. I guess we could've used a mind like that."

Dana nodded and moved away, pulling down another jumpseat and sinking into it. "I sure hope Marin is still there."

"Marin?" he asked as he turned to change their course.

"My friend on Boon-Sing."

"Ah."

The two remained silent as Jeff struggled to quelch the feelings of loss and confusion that threatened to overpower him.

Can't concentrate on what I've lost. Only on what I can do now.

"I wonder what happened to Penny. If we could get to her, I'll bet she could help us."

"Penny? Oh, you mean Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward?"

He whirled around. "You know her?"

Dana shook her head. "No, but there was a world-wide manhunt for her and her butler that lasted over four months. As far as I know, they were never found. Or if they were, the king's kept it a secret."

"If I know Penny, she's still alive and probably very much kicking."

Jeff turned back to face the cockpit windows. Against his better wishes, anguish began to creep over him as he thought of his strong, young, virile sons.

How can they be gone? Wouldn't I know it somehow? Wouldn't I feel it?

Tears stung the back of his eyes.

Scott. Virgil. God. Oh, God. John. Gordon. Alan. And Mother, and Tin-Tin. Kyrano, my old friend. Oh, God, help me. Tell me I'll wake up from this.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep from letting even a single tear escape.

"Mr. Tracy, I don't know how you survived, but I know there's a reason. I didn't want to live after I saw James and the others blown to pieces. But I know James is with me. I heard him tell me I had to protect you after he died. He said you were our only hope."

He looked up at her. Never one to believe in ghosts speaking to the living, he decided not to altogether dismiss it, given the circumstances.

But what the hell can I do? Without my family, without all our technology, I have nothing. I'm just one man. How could I be anyone's hope?

"Call me Jeff, Dana. Just call me Jeff."

Virgil watched as Scott boarded Tracy Two. He stood at the edge of the tarmac; a small bud nestled within his ear, a thin microphone extending down to the right corner of his mouth. "Okay, Scott, you're cleared for takeoff."

"F.A.B. I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep it together here, Virgil."

"You keep it together, too."

The jet's engines whirred to life, and she began to move. Quickly picking up speed, she sailed into the air just ten feet from the end of the runway. Virgil sighed and headed back to the elevator.

Now that Scott's gone, I'm in charge.

He entered the elevator and waited as it rose.

Fuck.