Scott ended up staying behind in Thunderbird 1 after landing. The thoughts of potential suspicious activity continually racked around in the back of his mind all throughout flight back to Tracy Island, because of this he had barely said a word to his brothers and sister during their return travels.
Even while changing out of uniform in the ship the thoughts could not be shrugged off.
He collapsed back into the pilots seat staring blankly into the windows of the cockpit barely watching his own reflection in the glass as he ran over the rescue mission.
Mentally he visualised the rescue in their stages from the moment they arrived at the danger zone to the hair raising moment that his sister jumped out of the exploding building and everything in between.
But no matter how many times he ran the events over his mind continually flashed back to the moment that the victims were leaping out to safety and how he had noticed someone looking out of place.
Scott leaned forward rubbing his forehead in thought while out of the corner of his eye he stared down the ship's photodetector, pondering.
"Even if there were photos taken the photodetector would have gone off...unless..." Scott's mumble trailed off as a new potential theory enlightened him.
Pushing himself to his feet he hurried out of the ship pacing quickly down the platform towards the elevator on the other side.
The elevator opened as Scott approached it, stepping inside and turning around as the doors swiped shut in front of him, standing still he let it take him back up towards Tracy Villa.
Scott ruffled his hair out as he exited his silo into Jeff Tracy's office, behind him it's doors slid shut swiftly camouflaging the entrance with a polished wood panelled wall with Scott's portrait sitting at eye level matching up with the six more portrait panels just like it.
Jeff was leaning over his desk that was situated in the middle of the large almost circular space conversing with Alan who leaned against the table edge, hands in his pants pockets and head hanging low until noticing Scott.
Picking up his presence from the corner of his eye Jeff turned towards his eldest eyeing him up and down as Scott approached him.
Not waiting on a greeting Scott went straight to the point, "Dad there's something I need to tell you about and it involves today's rescue."
Jeff's interest peaked in an instant.
-
"Hey Sam you coming out anytime soon!?" Virgil called out as he emerged from behind Thunderbird 2 on its extended landing legs. He stopped underneath the ship's engines sights fixated onto Thunderbird 6 resting on it's launch pad in the furthest area of the hanger bay past the line of TB2 Pods.
No response came.
"Sam?" Virgil tried again as he near cautiously made his way towards his sister's ship.
Meanwhile inside Thunderbird 6 Samantha was completely zoned out of reality.
She stared mindlessly at the ship's control panel where her hand hovered over a particular switch. Her eyes widened as they remained fixated on the switch, her fingers lowered until they just brushed the top of it.
For a moment it was almost like she was hesitating on flicking it.
Virgil stopped just meters outside Thunderbird 6, glancing up he quickly spotted the girl's shadowed figure through the glass of the cockpit. "Sam!"
Samantha flinched suddenly feeling herself snap back to reality. Blinking she darted her eyes around the cockpit confused, struggling to figure out what she was doing but nothing came to mind, just the faint lingering of a mild pain in the back of her head.
"Samantha come on!"
"Coming!" Samantha brushed off the thoughts as she quickly spun around; her fingers slipping over the switch they were hovering over. She hurriedly jumped out of the open side hatch of the ship down to the ground rushing over to her brother.
"Did you not hear me call out to you?" Virgil began to lead Samantha away past Thunderbird 2 and its line of pods towards the exit on the other side of the hanger bay.
"No?" Samantha frowned at him confused, not recalling hearing anything.
Virgil only glanced down at her, he quickly brushed off the thought changing the topic, "what took you so long anyway?"
Samantha slowed, looking away she racked her mind struggling to retrace what she was doing inside Thunderbird 6, but again nothing came to mind.
Not wanting to dwell on it Samantha just shrugged it off, "nothing don't worry..."
Virgil stopped meters away from the start of the stairs that would lead them up into the villa, he glanced over his shoulder at her not convinced by the words. He was about to speak...
"How's that for perfect timing?"
Virgil and Sam both turned their attention towards the top of the stairs at the interruption spotting Alan leaning over the railings staring down at them with a bit of a smug look on his face.
"What are you on about?" Virgil didn't budge as he questioned him.
Alan nodded behind him, "Dad wants us in his office, it's to do with Scott."
Sam and Virgil exchanged a glance, knowing exactly what this was about the two rushed up the stairs catching up with Alan. The youngest brother straightened up playfully nudging his sister as she passed, "did you miss me?"
Samantha only returned the banter giving him a smirk, "maybe."
As the three then exited through the hidden hanger entrance into the villa the flicked switch inside Thunderbird 6 began illuminate with a bright red glow.
-
"Alright Scott" Jeff started as he leaned back against the edge of his desk, arms folded he shifted his sights away from the rest of the siblings and stared down his eldest son, "let us hear it."
Scott looked away running a hand through his dark hair tossing up on the best way to explain his suspicions and sudden theory to his father brothers and sister.
Sam and Gordon sat on the couch underneath the long stretch of a window that overlooked the outside deck and pool. Virgil stood with folded arms on Sam's end which was closer towards the room's entrance, Gordon kept his distance from them on the other side while Alan had retreated back to his place of sitting on the edge of the desk. All four waiting to hear what Scott had to say, some being more patient than others.
Eventually giving in Scott let his hand down, he eyed his father beginning to explain, "it's about the rescue something doesn't seem right about it."
Jeff frowned, "in what way?"
"Well my main suspicion is that I think someone was taking photos but now that I'm thinking about it the entire rescue doesn't seem right..."
"How?" Gordon cut in ignoring the sudden glares coming from Samantha.
Scott avoided the urge to roll his eyes as he briefly turned towards him beginning to grow frustrated, "well a fire like that doesn't just come out of nowhere especially at that time of day..."
"That distress call didn't give us much explanation to the cause of it either" Alan broke in.
Scott heaved in a heavy breath as he turned towards Alan as he continued. "It did come out of the blue though..."
"Most of the time they do unless it gets monitored." Sam quietly mentioned as she shuffled around on the spot.
Virgil raised a brow at his brothers as an uncomfortable tension quickly brewed between the group.
"Your sister has a point" Jeff calmly started after a moment of listening and absorbing in the information, "a disaster can happen anywhere at any time, yes there has been times where they have been monitored beforehand but the majority of distress calls will randomly come through," he then placed his attention back onto Scott seeking a response about one specific thing.
"So Scott, aside from the actual rescue itself what do you mean by 'someone was taking photos'."
Ignoring his siblings Scott gave in finding now was the time to throw out his theory on the matter, "I have a suspicion that one of the 'victims' was taking photos the time we were there" his words coming off stern.
Sam and Virgil exchanged intrigued glances at each other while Gordon only leaned forward with a baffled look on his face. Jeff continued to listen.
"Wouldn't photodetector have gone off?" Alan questioned.
Scott threw his hands out towards him his voice rising by the second, "that's the thing! It didn't! Which makes me think that someone has caused this disaster on purpose!"
Virgil, Alan, Samantha and Gordon's sights instantly turned onto Scott. What followed was a bitter silence that only heightened the tight tension between the family. No one said or questioned anything even Jeff kept quiet as he processed what he'd just heard.
Scott allowed himself to calm down before continuing.
"I have been watching the photodetector the whole time not once did it go off, I think it may have been sabotaged so pictures could be taken with no consequences..."
Samantha felt herself drifting out of the conversation as Jeff began to question Scott about the suspected footage. She began to feel a painful throbbing sensation at the back of her head, Sam tried to brush it off and refocus herself but the painful throbs quickly gained tension just like the argument brewing around her with Gordon interrupting once again.
"And that is why you called us down to question us?"
Scott rolled his eyes in frustration, "yes! why wouldn't I? You guys saw a lot more inside than what I did!" Virgil broke his silence, "there was only so much we could see! We had a job to do and that's what we did!"
With the brothers shouting Sam sank herself into the couch lowering and rubbing her forehead, clenching her eyes shut the pains quickly morphed into repetitive stabbing pangs each one growing more painful than the last, it felt like an army of knives where stabbing her repeatedly.
It quickly became unbearable, heaving in deep breaths Sam tried to mask over the pains.
"Why would I play down something like this!?"
"Enough!" Jeff snapped throwing his hands up instantly silencing the brothers.
Samantha flinched back to reality the pains instantly dialling down to a dull throb. Her sudden move sparking some stares mainly from Alan.
Jeff lowered his arms to his hips before more calmly continuing, "now regardless whether or not your brother's suspicions are true we have to take this seriously not only for the sake of International Rescue's secrecy but to also make sure the six of you are kept safe," he paused eyeing his offspring, "understood?"
After a moment of silence and short glares at each other the brothers and sister quietly agreed.
Acknowledging Jeff turned towards his eldest, "Scott go get Brains, explain everything and get him to check over the photodetector, we need to figure out if it was sabotaged or malfunctioning."
Scott nodded, cutting past his brothers he paced away to locate their engineer.
As the eldest Tracy left the room Samantha began to feel the stabbing pains return, wincing at the pain all eyes now fell onto her.
Gordon looked up and down her now confused by her strange behaviour, "what's up with you?"
"Nothing I'm fine" Sam mumbled as she felt the pains continue to stab her head. She paused as Jeff gave her a concerned look, turning away she pushed herself up pacing away out of the office and into the main living quarters heading straight for the stairs leading towards the bedrooms, "I'm going to bed."
Alan quickly began to slip away after her.
"Just leave her alone Alan" Virgil called out knowing exactly what he was going to do.
Alan stopped at the room's entrance, rolling his eyes he half turned round slanting his eyes at Virgil.
Jeff straightened up about to return to leaning over the desk, "listen to your brother, just leave her alone and go find TinTin for me please."
Shooting one last dagger like glare at Virgil Alan stormed off out of sight, Jeff letting off an irritated sigh as he left.
Gordon frowned staring up at Virgil, "what's up with him?"
Virgil only shrugged, "post-space-blues."