"Hey! Hey fella!" Scott called as he rounded a corner and spotted what looked to be another miner lying slumped against the far wall. "Are you okay?"
Vigorous shaking of the man's shoulder did nothing and Scott was forced to resort to lightly smacking his face until he got a reaction. The man groaned, his eyes scrunching shut tighter as he slowly came round. Scott shook his shoulder again when he looked like he was about to drift off, all the while performing a swift visual assessment of the man's person. No blood. No signs of injury or sickness that he could see. The man's skin was cool to the touch, with no fever or clamminess and, when Scott pressed his fingers to the man's throat, he felt his pulse thudding steadily. Nothing suspicious, nothing obviously wrong, just like the pilot.
"Hey!" Scott tried again, trying to keep his attention. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I… I don't know," the man answered groggily, his voice little more than a croak.
"Take your time, it's alright," Scott assured him, patting his shoulder. "Can you sit up?"
The man nodded and Scott helped him upright. The movement set the man coughing.
"I was going on shift…" the man started, the coughing fit having cleared his throat although he still sounded distant as if he were half asleep.
"Go on," Scott encouraged.
"I saw two men," the man said, his forehead creasing as he strove to remember. "I didn't know them. Weird thing…"
"What was weird?"
The man cleared his throat again, trying to create some saliva as he blinked blearily. "One of them, he looked me dead in the eyes and I swear…"
"What? What do you swear?"
The man shook his head, then looked at Scott for the first time. "International Rescue?"
"Yeah, yeah, we're here, you're gonna be alright." He patted the man comfortingly on the shoulder. "Just keep talking, what were you saying?"
"It's impossible…" He chuckled to himself as if enjoying a private joke.
"Come on, buddy, focus," Scott ordered, shaking him for emphasis. "What's impossible?"
The man's eyes locked on Scott's. "I swear I saw his eyes glow."
Scott froze, cold fingers of fear crawling the length of his spine as realisation dawned. They only knew of one man who possessed eyes that glowed with an eerie unnatural light thanks to his unholy powers. And that man was their arch-enemy, known only as the Hood.
But how could he possibly be here, on the Moon? He was known to be a master of disguise. Could that explain why the protestors pilot had taken ill so suddenly?
Scott's mind raced with possibilities. Had this whole thing been a ploy to get International Rescue to come out? Was it all part of some elaborate plot to steal their secrets and cause them harm as he had tried so many times before? What if he wasn't the only one?
"I have to warn John," Scott growled, speaking out loud before returning his focus to the fallen miner. "Can you stand?"
"I… I think so."
Scott got to his feet and, sliding an arm around the miner's back, helped haul him to upright.
The miner wobbled unsteadily as he tried to find his balance, his eyes straying downwards.
"My pass."
"Huh?" Scott asked, too distracted to have caught his words.
"My pass," the man elaborated, "it's gone. Someone took my pass to the mine."
The curse Scott uttered under his breath would have made his Grandma gasp and threaten to wash his mouth out with soap, but if ever a situation warranted such language, it was now.
He shook off the dread that hung heavily over him, focusing back on the miner. He had a job to do and his priority was those they saved.
"Never mind about that now," he told him, bracing himself as he moved them away from the wall. "Let's get you some help, then I'll find my brother."
-x-
"Scott to John, come in."
The crackling of his brother's voice over the radio broke the unnatural quiet of what John had expected to be a noisy, bustling mine. Maybe it was because he had only just breached the entrance, having found the security door left wide open.
He dug his radio out of his uniform pocket and answered Scott, "Scott? I'm receiving you, what's up?"
"John, bad news," Scott started.
"Isn't there always?"
Scott chuckled humourlessly, "Tell me about it. It seems that an old buddy of ours has decided to make an appearance."
"An old buddy?" John asked, carefully picking his way around large chunks of discarded moon rock and into the mineshaft proper.
"Yeah, that fella that goes by the Hood, I think he's here."
John closed his eyes, exhaling deeply as Scott's words reached him. The Hood was the last person any of them had wanted to see again. He was the only one of the five Tracy brothers that hadn't had an encounter with the rogue and, after hearing the tales his brothers, Tin-Tin, Brains, Lady Penelope, and Parker had told, he'd have been more than happy to keep it that way. Not, it appeared, that he had any choice in the matter.
"Have you told Dad?"
"Not yet, figured I'd better warn you first. Alan had already been on to the base commander and mine manager regarding our sabotage fears, they suspended all operations and evacuated the miners through the secondary emergency exit tunnel. They won't be allowed back in until we get the situation under control, so there are no civilians around to get caught in the crossfire. They even alerted them via radio link so as not to warn the Hood."
"Well, that's one good thing, and explains the lack of drilling."
"You're already in the mine?"
"Just entered. I'm gonna continue in and scout around until you join me," John told him as he followed the shaft steadily downwards.
"F.A.B., just don't try to be a hero, don't engage unless absolutely necessary. The guys here are all government workers, none of them are military trained, so it looks like we're on our own."
John grinned to himself, something Scott heard in his voice as he said, "But that's all part of the job, hero's our middle name."
"Not if it means being stupid," Scott warned him. "I'm still the oldest and acting commander while we're up here, and I say hang back and wait for me if you can."
"Scott, I'm telling you, if someone is in danger down there I won't hesitate to act," John insisted. "I have to find them before it's too late."
Scott knew he'd been beaten, heck, he'd be saying the same if he were in his brother's position. They were Tracys and it wasn't in their nature to back down from a fight. "Just be careful."
"I will," John promised, hearing the concern in his brother's voice. "I might not get to play in the field as much as you but I'm not still wet behind the ears. I've got this."
"Yeah," Scott sighed. "I know you do. Just remember that you've only got a week left before you're due back in the space station and Alan will pitch a fit if you're late for any reason."
"I know, I know, I already owe him six hours."
"I'm gonna call base, let them know about our uninvited guest," Scott said grimly. "Just remember what I said, no heroics unless absolutely necessary."
"Yes, boss."
"Wise guy, huh? We'll see about that when I beat you at pool when we get back to base," Scott said, cutting the call before his brother could get the last word.
Chuckling to himself, John tucked the radio away and continued his downward journey. The deeper he went the more he saw signs of abandoned activity. Drilling and digging equipment lay where it had been dropped, along with smaller hand tools, automated carts attached to rails on the ground, as well as cases of small nutomic charges littering the area.
If those guys got hold of these they could do some real damage, John thought, picking up his pace. Even one case of charges in the wrong hands could be a disaster.
Grateful that the only people that would be inside the mine, apart from himself, were the one they suspected to be the Hood, and Cosmo, he pulled out his gun, confident that no innocents would be in the way. Their International Rescue uniforms were made of a specially designed, extra tough, bullet-repellent fabric, but at close range any weapon could prove fatal, to say nothing of the damage that could be caused by an explosive charge or mining equipment. He wasn't about to take any chances. This would be dangerous, no doubt about it, but he'd never dream of staying outside.
Suitably armed, he crept along as best he could, back hugging the wall, uncaring of the dirt that would soon mar his distinctive blue uniform. Ears pricked for any clue as to their whereabouts, he made his way to a junction where the main shaft split off, one to the right, one to the left and the main continuing down deeper.
He paused there, unwilling to risk picking the wrong shaft and wasting time. He was never usually so indecisive but this wasn't a normal situation. Wanting to eliminate the two smaller shafts he moved to the right and listened carefully. Nothing.
He moved to the left and listened. He was about to move again when he heard it. A sound relatively new to him but distinctive nonetheless.
Selene! What the heck is she doing down here? Why didn't she listen? She promised me she would stay put, he raged to himself. A sudden thought struck him. Is she involved with this plan of theirs? Has she been playing me this whole time? That thought hurt far more than it should, he didn't know her, yet for some reason that he couldn't explain even to himself, he trusted her. No, he told himself firmly, she wouldn't do that. She was far too moral and righteous, she had been fighting with her friends from the start and no one, not even the world's best actress, could fake the emotions he had felt from her. No, she was not involved and that meant that she was in terrible danger.
He couldn't risk calling out to her, no matter how much he wanted to, for that would surely alert them to his presence, although any chance of them not knowing she was there had been ruined by the fact that she was yelling at the top of her lungs.
He might still have the element of surprise but if he wanted to make it count he had to move, and fast.