Chapter Eleven
Belah paced the grand main chamber of his temple. He'd tortured Brains, but the idiot had passed out on him and this time, Belah had not been able to revive him. He estimated his prisoner would be dead within half a day, if not less.
But there was still the problem of Jeff Tracy. He couldn't get out of his mind hearing his voice calling out to Thunderbird 5. It had been two whole days since that signal had come through, and there'd been no activity on that frequency since. But then there'd been the incident on Tracy Island.
And yes, Belah had lied to the world. Even his closest aide, Chien, didn't know the truth. Belah hadn't killed Jeff Tracy with his bare hands. He'd never been able to find him. He and his warriors had searched Tracy Island from stem to stern, as well as every Tracy Corporation building and Creighton-Ward Mansion, but he'd never been discovered. He'd even boarded Thunderbird 5, but found only Tracy's youngest son on board. He'd shot him in the head before retreating to his own ship and blowing the space station to hell.
But he had never, ever seen or heard from Jeff himself. After all these years, to hear the man's voice...to Belah, that could only mean one thing. Not only had Tracy survived his attack, but he'd been underground all these years. And now, he'd surfaced. There had been reports of a few uprisings by NC factions in the past few hours, but nothing his warriors hadn't been able to handle.
Yet it disturbed him. The reappearance of Jeff, the people on the island, and now these uprisings. It had to be more than mere coincidence. But on a planet as large as Earth, how would Belah ever find his enemy? And if he couldn't find him, how could he stop him?
His face hard and unyielding, Belah strode through a hall that opened into a second, smaller chamber. Over in the corner was a large object covered by an equally large black cloth. He walked over to it and pulled the sheet away, letting it fall to the floor around him.
The machine looked like a large rectangular frame. It was made of Formula C30/1, the same metal creation the Mole's drill bit had been made of. Virtually indestructible, it ensured almost nothing would be able to destroy this particular invention.
Belah had commissioned it as one of the first items he forced Brains to create. It was nothing less than a time gate. Belah reasoned early on that if his plans to dominate Earth didn't work, all he'd have to do is travel back in time and try again until he was successful. However, he'd had no reason to use it, and so it had sat here in this chamber for the last fourteen years, untouched.
But Belah needed it now. He may have stripped Jefferson Tracy of his wealth and technology, but deep down, he feared him. For Jeff was nothing if not the very representation of all that was good and right...all that was opposite of Belah Gaat. In his experience, the Universe always seemed to have a way to right certain wrongs, to keep the balance of Good and Evil in proportion. Well, the balance had been swayed to Evil for a long time now. Tracy might very well be the thing that turned the tables on the King of the Earth, and Belah couldn't have that.
His only choice, he reasoned as he looked up at the eleven-foot-tall gate, was to travel back to before he had destroyed Thunderbirds 1 and 2...back to the past to find Jeff Tracy and make certain, once and for all, that he was dead. If he could do that, he would secure the future for certain. But what if he failed?
He pushed that thought to the furthest recesses of his mind. Yes, the chance existed that he would not be able to find Tracy or, if he did, that he would die instead of his foe. Either way it would change the past, and Belah knew he had to try. Otherwise the empire he had built for himself might crumble around him.
There were a few preparations to be made. He stalked from the chamber to his room, yelling for Chien the entire way. When at last his aide appeared at his door, Belah said, "The last known faction of rebels is on Boon-Sing, correct?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Take every ship we have and converge upon that island. If I do not succeed, you must ensure all non-conformers perish."
"Do not succeed? What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Jefferson Tracy," Belah replied. "And with any luck, I'm going to change history."
TEN HOURS LATER...
"We should be hitting mainland Malaysia in about thirty minutes."
"Something isn't right, Jeff."
"I know what you mean. We haven't seen a single boat or aircraft the entire time we've been on the water."
"Cammie?" came a voice over the airwaves.
"Yes, Marin?"
"We've got a visual on the mouth of the Rajang River. There isn't a soul in sight on the mainland. Should we proceed up the river to the Baleh?"
Standing next to Jeff, who was seated in Thunderbird 4's pilot's chair, Penny looked down at him. He nodded and she replied, "Affirmative, Marin. But keep the yacht cloaked. Just because we can't see the enemy doesn't mean he's not there."
"Got it, Cammie. Over and out."
"God, this is a long shot, Penny. Even if Gaat did force Brains to make weapons for him, it's been fifteen years. He could be dead by now."
"That's very true. But if nothing else, perhaps we can at least eliminate Gaat himself. It would be the first step to restoring peace."
"I keep thinking this is all a terrible nightmare, and that I'm going to wake up at any second and find myself back home with Scott and Virgil staring down at me with frowns on their faces."
Penny laughed softly before her face became sad. "I don't want them to be gone any more than you do, Jeff. I only hope Brains is still alive, and that he can do something to help you bring them back. Or more correctly, to see that they never die to begin with."
"I hope so too, Penny."
Yes, it was a long shot. But it was the only shot Jeff had.
"Do you have everything you require, Master?"
"Yes. Now take my helijet and the remaining guards. I want you there to oversee the operation at Boon-Sing."
"Yes, Sir," Chien replied. He turned and walked down the hall leading to the main chamber. He knew that the machine his master was standing in front had something to do with time travel. He wondered what exactly Belah Gaat thought he was going to change. And why would he need to change anything at all? Everything had gone according to plan from the very first. What could his boss possibly want different?
The only answer was Jeff Tracy. For the first time ever, Chien began to feel doubt where his king was concerned. Belah hadn't been able to rest ever since that transmission had been picked up two days ago. If he had indeed killed Jeff Tracy fifteen years past, why would hearing his voice have bothered him so?
The only answer was that he'd lied to them all. That he hadn't killed Tracy.
"That must be what he wants to change," Chien mused as he headed for the rear exit. "He must be going back in time to kill Jeff Tracy."
He stopped dead in his tracks as a thought occurred to him. If Belah could go back and kill Jeff...Chien could go back and kill Belah. Then he would reign supreme over the world. Visions of triumph swirled in his mind. As the last guard to leave opened the door, Chien made his decision.
"Leave without me," he ordered. "His Excellency has asked me to remain here with him."
The guard nodded and disappeared into the fading light of early evening. Chien turned and headed for the dungeon. There was only one man he knew that could teach him how to use that time machine. He only hoped he was still alive.
"How's it coming, Brains?"
"Well, uh, I think I've calibrated this replacement converter w-with the same configuration a-as the one your father touched," Brains replied, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. "I-It's ready to go."
"All right, here's what we're going to do. You're going to show me how to run this thing. The rest of you are going to wait in the hall. Brains, once I'm up to speed, you're going to wait out there with them."
"The hell we're waiting out there, Scott!" Virgil said, stepping forward, his hands balled into fists. "You don't know what's going to happen! We might need to help!"
"Virgil, if this doesn't work, we could all be killed or...transported into a different time. We can't risk any more than one of us."
"Why does it have to be you?" John asked, stepping forward to stand next to Virgil.
"Because I'm in charge, and that's my decision."
"Fuck you, Scott. Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you're in charge of shit. You're not the fucking end-all and be-all of this family."
Scott hauled off and punched John square in the jaw. Virgil stepped between them as John lunged for his eldest brother. "Knock it off!" Virg bellowed.
John and Scott glared at one another, one of Virgil's hands on each of their chests to hold them apart.
"John has a point, Scott," Gordon ventured. "Although I wouldn't have put it quite that way."
"I won't risk any of you," Scott said as he turned to look at Gordon. "I can't." With that, he seemed to deflate, and Virgil removed his hand.
John rubbed his jaw and leaned back against one of the lab tables. "If anyone shouldn't be here when this thing is fired up, Scott, it's you. We all know you're supposed to take over if something happens to Dad. If you go, we'll be stuck with Virgil."
Virgil glared at John but remained silent. Jesus Christ, I don't want to be in charge.
"I say it's all or nothing," came a voice from the door. They turned to find their grandmother standing there with Kyrano by her side. Ruth walked over to them and shook her head. "I can't believe you. Grown men fighting like children. We're a family. All of us. When one of us is in trouble, don't the rest of us always band together?"
Tin-Tin nodded. "She's right, you know. There is strength in numbers."
"Numbers didn't help us when Dad disappeared," Scott reminded them.
"So what, you want to disappear, too? Leave us with two missing Tracys?" Ruth retorted. "Over my dead body, Scott Tracy. Brains, there has to be some way to protect ourselves from this gate, or whatever it is, when it opens."
"Uh...well, I, uh, I suppose o-our radiation suits might shield us from the worst of its e-effects."
"Then I propose we all put one of those things on and run this experiment. Together."
Ruth Tracy may have only been five feet tall, but when she made up her mind, she was as unmovable as her son.
"All for one?" Gordon asked as he moved closer to Scott.
Finally Scott nodded. "All for one. Let's get the suits."
They filed into the next room where the radiation suits were stored, leaving Kyrano and Ruth alone with the phase converter. "Lord have mercy, that child is as stubborn as his father," Ruth commented.
"And as much so as his grandmother," Kyrano replied, mouth forming a smile.
Ruth chuckled. "Guess so, Kyrano. Guess so."