GORDON was almost frozen in time. He stared at the bomb, not having a clue what to do.

"Gordon?" Penelope said, whilst trying to be very careful not to move. "Gordon!"

Gordon snapped out of it. "Wha-?!"

"Are you just going to sit there staring at it, or are you going to do something about it?" Penelope asked.

Gordon looked back at the bomb. "Errrrr…where do I even start?" he asked.

"First of all, what does the timer say?" asked Penelope. "How much time do we have?"

Gordon looked all over the bomb. But he couldn't see a timer anywhere. "Unless I'm going blind, there isn't one!" he said. "But the other end of the rope that's around your ankles is fixed to what must be a trigger."

"Then my feet are the only things that are stopping it from going off…" Penelope realised. "There must be more to this than there seems. You'd best contact Tracy Island for assistance. We need The Mechanic's help again."

"Right," said Gordon. He pressed his sash. "Gordon to Tracy Island. Come in, please?"

Jeff had been anxiously waiting for news with Grandma when Gordon's call came through. "Go ahead, Gordon. Been waiting for you. Have you found Penny?"

"Yes, Dad, but we have a serious problem," Gordon said once his hologram appeared from the eyes of his portrait. "Those creeps have not only left her tied to a chair, but they've tied her feet to another bomb which looks like it'll go off if she'd freed."

Jeff felt his blood pressure rising in anger. He banged his fist furiously on the table. "Scum!" he cursed. "Should I ever-"

Grandma stopped him. "Easy, Jeff," she said. "We need to get this resolved and fast."

"You're right, Mother," said Jeff, calming himself down. "How much time is there, Gordon?"

"I don't know, Dad," said Gordon shakily. "There's no timer. I think the trigger making contact with a circuit is what sets it off."

"Or its got multiple triggers that could set it off another way," said Jeff. "Gordon, make a scan of the bomb and send it through to Brains. I'll ask him and The Mechanic to be ready for you."

Gordon didn't want any help from Brains as he'd not spoken to him since the falling out. But he was desperate for help from The Mechanic. He took out a scanning device from his sash and began to make a scan of the bomb.

Jeff pressed a button to call Brains in his lab. "Brains, Gordon needs help with defusing another of those bombs," he said. "This one's different from the last one. We're gonna need Juan's help again."

"Oh…d-d-dear," Brains answered. "That is g-going to be awkward, Mr T-Tracy." His stutter was a little worse than usual which told Jeff immediately something was wrong.

"What's the problem, Brains?"

"I'm afraid that J-Juan is currently in one of his energy-saving slumbers," Brains replied. "He is out for the c-count."

"Then wake him up, damn it!" Jeff barked. "Lady Penelope is sitting on top of the bomb and it looks like it's a booby-trap. We need to defuse it!"

Brains felt a little bit of sweat on his forehead. He looked over at The Mechanic who was sound asleep with energy tribes attached to his head, arms and legs. "I'm s-sorry, Mr Tracy," he apologised. "But w-waking him up whilst he's in this state…could k-kill him."

Jeff gritted his teeth and banged both fists on the table this time. "God DAMN IT!"

"I've completed the scan," Gordon said. "Is The Mechanic ready for me now?"

Jeff didn't answer, much to both Gordon and Penelope's concern.

"Dad?"

Hearing Gordon's voice sent chills through Brains's body. He knew he owed Gordon an apology for the way he'd been towards him. Maybe, he thought, this was his chance to settle things. "Let me t-talk to him, Mr Tracy," he said to Jeff. "I'll help him."

Jeff was uneasy about what Gordon's reaction would be, but both his and Penelope's lives were in great danger. Gordon would have to be a fool to turn down help at a time like this. "I'm afraid The Mechanic is not available, Gordon," he said. "But Brains is available to help."

"Brains?!" exclaimed Gordon. "But I n-" He cut off, suddenly noticing the stern look on Penelope's face. And then he realised it too. "Okay…put him through, Dad."

"Brains, you're on."

"G-Gordon, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you, Brains," said Gordon, trying to keep his resentment hidden as best he could. "Have you got the scan?"

"I d-do indeed," said Brains as the scan of the bomb appeared in front of him. He studied it closely along with a copy of the scan of the one Penelope had found in her mansion. "Well…there is d-definitely no timer that I can see. It is a c-contact detonator. The t-trigger is currently being held upright somehow preventing the circuit from being m-made."

"The rope tying my feet together is what's holding it up, Brains," said Penelope.

"Oh…I see," Brains said. "In that c-case. Gordon, do you have a screwdriver in your toolbelt?"

"Of course I do," replied Gordon, removing it from the belt. "Which part do I need to take off?"

"Does the s-section facing you have screws?"

"Yes, it does."

"Then remove those…very c-carefully!" Brains added. "Don't subject it to any s-sudden movements."

Gordon gulped. Being this close to such a dangerous device made him very nervous. "F-A-B…" he said with a shaky voice. He then began to undo the screws, very slowly and very carefully. He tried hard to keep his hands steady, but it was not easy.

It was at that moment that Scott suddenly appeared at a nearby window out in the hallway. He peered through but couldn't see Gordon or Penelope from where he was. "Hello?" he called out cautiously. "Anyone there?"

"Scott?"

"Lady Penelope! Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little tied up here," Penelope said.

"Well at least her sense of humor hasn't dried up," Jeff muttered to himself.

"Where are you, Scott?" asked Penelope.

"I'm outside this window in the passageway," Scott said. "If you need me to do anything, let me know."

"I think Gordon has everything in hand for the moment," Penelope said. "Isn't that right, Gordon?"

Gordon was too busy concentrating to answer. He'd managed to get three of the screws out and was now working on the fourth. "There! Got them," he said and cautiously removed the cover of the bomb to reveal several coloured wires inside. "Okay, I see wires. Lots of them. All different colors."

"What c-colors are they?" asked Brains.

"Errrr…green, yellow, orange, red, blue, black and brown."

"Those aren't the same as what the other one had!" Penelope said. "There was a white one in there. I don't recall orange and there definitely wasn't a brown one!"

"Then this c-complicates things," said Brains. "The order of cutting could be v-very different."

"So if I cut the wrong one…" Gordon began.

"Y-Yes…" said Brains nervously. "I'm afraid s-so."

Silence fell on both the island and inside the Tower of London.

Gordon stared at the bomb. Something needed to be done, but if he got it wrong, the bomb would go off, killing Penelope, him, Scott and possibly several others nearby. And London would lose its oldest landmark as well.

"Gordon?"

Gordon looked up at Penelope. His brown eyes seemed to lock with her pretty blue ones.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you," Penelope said. "I do still love you. Even if you may not love me anymore."

Gordon felt his heartbeat pumping against the inside of his chest. He hadn't expected to hear an apology from Penelope. He had been planning to make one after rescuing her. But it did do something. He made him feel a little warmer inside for a second. But then he lost it again and began to look depressed.

"I trust you, Gordon Tracy," Penelope continued. "My life is in your hands. And I want you to know whatever happens, I know you were doing it for me. I love you."

Everyone had heard that. Jeff, Grandma, Brains, Scott and even Virgil, Alan and John had heard what Penelope had said. None of them could think of anything to say. But Penelope's words certainly made them all feel somewhat emotional.

For Gordon it hit the most, and he suddenly felt a new sense of determination. He did still love Penelope, and no matter what happened, he was going to try and save her. "Okay…" he said. "Here goes nothing." He took out a pair of wire cutters from his toolbelt and picked a wire at random. The green one. He went to cut it, but then he felt a weird sense that made him stop. "Woah…okay that was weird."

"What is it?" asked Penelope.

"I felt a strange sense that isn't the right one," Gordon said. He tried again with the green one, but the feeling came again. And again when he tried with the black one. And the red one. But then when he went for the yellow one, the feeling didn't come. He closed his eyes and cut the wire. Nothing happened. "Yellow cut."

"Wait, yellow was the first one I cut!" Penelope remembered. "Then I did the green."

"And then the red!" Brains said, remembering too. "T-Try those, Gordon."

So Gordon went for the green and cut it. Nothing happened. He then cut the red. Still nothing happened. "It's working so far," he said. "And I didn't get that feeling either."

"Maybe that was your squid-sense tingling?" joked Alan.

Gordon was about to tell him off but then he thought about it. He'd often boasted about his world-famous Gordon Tracy Squid-Sense, but had never really proven it was such a thing. He'd actually stopped believing in it himself, but now… "You might actually be onto something, Alan." He looked at the remaining four wires. Blue, brown, orange and black. "So these are the guessing ones," he said.

"I'm afraid I c-can't help you with those, Gordon," said Brains. "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for b-being such a jerk towards you."

"I'm the one who's been a jerk again, Brains, not you," Gordon said. "Thank you." He looked at Penelope. He could tell she was as nervous as he was. He went for the blue one. Didn't feel strange so he cut it. It was fine. He then went for the black one. Still felt fine. He cut it. Nothing. Now it was the orange and the brown ones left. He went for the orange but started getting the tingle again. "No. Other one," he said. He went for the brown. But the tingle came again for that one as well. "What?! Okay…I'm getting bad feelings from both of these wires!"

"Then you're g-gonna have to choose one," said Brains. "P-Please choose wisely."

"You got this, son," said Jeff, trying his best not to sound as afraid as everyone else was feeling. Scott had his hands on the metal bars outside the window. John waited nervously with EOS aboard Thunderbird 5. Virgil and Alan were now halfway across the Atlantic in Thunderbird 2. Neither of them spoke either.

Gordon looked at the two wires, took a deep breath and went "Eenie-meenie-miney-mo, one-of-you-has-got-to-go!" He cut the orange wire. Still nothing happened. He exhaled loudly. Then cut the brown one. The orange and red lights that had been flashing on the top all went out. He then fell back against the floor. "It's done!"

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief upon hearing that and cheering started.

"Way to go, Gordo!" cheered Alan.

"You did it!" said John.

"Alright!" whooped Scott.

"Well done, son!" said Jeff proudly.

"Yes, w-well done," finished Brains.

Penelope beamed proudly at Gordon. "Thank you, my love," she said, tears of relief trickling down from her eyes. "Now…please untie me so I can embrace you."

Gordon had never gotten up from any floor so fast before. He went round behind Penelope and cut through the ropes that bound her arms and wrists to the backrest of the chair. He then went round the front and cut the rope around her ankles. "There you go!" he said and opened his arms as Penelope stood quickly up off the chair.

Neither of them heard a click from under the chair, but before their lips could lock with each others, a loud buzzing sound made them both jump. They looked down. It was coming from under the chair. Gordon kicked the chair over to see what it was. Both gasped out loud to see the lights on the bomb were back on and flashing rapidly. Smoke was starting to seep out from it as well.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Gordon. "IT'S TURNED BACK ON!"

"The t-trigger has snapped down!" Brains realised checking the scan. "The circuit has been c-completed after all! G-GET OUT OF THERE!"

"GORDON, THROW THE BOMB TO ME!" Scott bellowed through the window.

Gordon rushed forwards and picked up the bomb. It was heavy and a bit of an effort to lift, but he managed it, just. He quickly staggered over through the door of the Jewel Room and to the open window where Scott had used his laser to cut through the bars. Gordon handed him the bomb and Scott used his jetpack to fly as fast as he could over the top of the Tower of London and over to the Thames where he let go of it. He then quickly moved away as it hit the water with a heavy splash. Barely a second after impact, it detonated.

An almighty BOOM was heard for well over ten miles in each direction. The shockwave caught Scott and sent him flying. "YAAAAAAAARGH!"

Every window within a two mile radius of the bomb's detonation was also shattered by the sound and by the shockwave that followed it. Anyone who was asleep was woken up with a start and several animals were frightened by it. Every dog in that area began barking and howling whilst every cat went hiding wherever they could.

"SCOTT!" bellowed Gordon. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Scott's heavy breathing was heard once the sound of the blast had faded away. "Yeah! I'm okay!" he said. He'd grabbed hold of one of the drainpipes on the side of the Tower's outer wall. It was now broken and had fallen to the ground where he luckily landed in a bush. He checked himself for any injuries. There were none. He then made sure his jetpack was still working. It was, so he flew himself back up to the window where he'd been given the bomb. "Boy, that was way too close," he remarked as he pulled himself in through the open window. "The better question is are you-OKAAAAY!" he said suddenly when he saw what Gordon and Penelope were doing. He turned away and dived back out of the window. "I'm…gonna give you guys a moment or two."

Nobody else needed to be told what Scott had seen. They all knew, and it caused everyone to get a large grin on their faces.


Scott, Gordon and Penelope regrouped in the side street where FAB1 was parked. Scott had sent Thunderbird 1 up into the clouds out of sight as the authorities were now heading to the scene after being alerted by the bomb exploding. They felt it best they weren't seen otherwise they might be seen as the prime suspects.

"I know I already said it, but that was way too close," Scott said.

"You can say that again," agreed Gordon. "Oh, wait, you did. My bad."

Scott ignored Gordon's remark. "Are you okay, Lady Penelope?"

"I'm fine, Scott," said Penelope. "Thanks to you both."

"Too bad those guys got away," said Scott. He looked back at the Police Cars and Helicopters that were now arriving at the Tower of London. "I wouldn't like to be the ones to find out that the Crown Jewels have been stolen."

"I wanna get my hands on this Sir Charles whoever he is!" growled Gordon, clenching his fists.

Penelope smiled. "Well, about him and his accomplice," she said, opening her compact to reveal a zoomed in holographic map of England. One light showed their location, another was shown to be moving Nor-Nor-West. "They got quite a head start on us."

"You planted a tracker on them?!" said Gordon.

"On their Helijet after it took off from my front lawn," said Penelope.

Scott frowned. "You mean you could have sent the GDF their location all along?!"

"Yes, yes, I know, Scott," Penelope cut him off. "I know, I'm sorry. It would have been the obvious thing to have done. But I'm afraid I allowed my emotions to get the better of me on this occasion, and I wanted to bring Mr Charles down personally. Nobody tries to kill my family and gets away with it!"

"Well that I can't argue with," agreed Scott. "Are you going after them?"

"Indeed," said Penelope. "But…can I count on you boys for back-up?"

Gordon and Scott looked at each and nodded. "F-A-B!" they said together.

Penelope beamed. "Care to ride with me, Gordon?" she asked, open FAB1's side door for him.

Gordon grinned broadly.


Mr Charles and Dawkins had been travelling for quite some time since leaving the Tower of London. They were starting to fly over Nottinghamshire. Mr Charles peered down towards the ground. Although it was dark, he knew exactly where they were. "How fitting we should be flying over Sherwood Forest, Dawkins," he said. "We have done exactly what Robin Hood supposedly did all those centuries ago. My ancestors would be most proud of me!" He had the sack loaded with the Crown Jewels in front of him, and he was stroking the top crown that was poking out the top like a supervillain stroking a cat.

Dawkins remained silent. He found his master's stroking of the crown somewhat unsettling. "I do believe we are in the clear, Mr Charles?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, Dawkins," said Mr Charles. "I wonder how Lady Penelope is holding up right now?"

WHOOSH! Something zoomed past the Helijet causing it to sway about and almost caused Mr Charles and Dawkins to jump out of their seats in astonishment for neither of them were wearing seatbelts.

"WHAT IN THE HELLISH DEVIL?!" exclaimed Mr Charles, almost throwing the sack of jewels into the air but managing to catch it again.

The two startled men looked around, but whatever it was that had flown past them had vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"W-What was that, Mr Charles?" asked Dawkins, trying to get over the shock.

"I have no idea, Dawkins!" answered Mr Charles. "But I sure hope it doesn't-"

WHOOSH!

"EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" Mr Charles screeched as the mysterious object shot past again, this time directly across their path. "DO SOMETHING, DAWKINS!"

"LIKE WHAT, SIR?!" shouted Dawkins.

Before Mr Charles could reply, another voice suddenly seemed to come through the walls of the Helijet. "This is the Global Defence Force! We have you surrounded! Land immediately or we will have no choice but to force you down!"

"What?!" exclaimed Mr Charles. "We're in silent flight-mode! NOBODY CAN TRACE US!"

"It would seem somehow someone has, sir!" said Dawkins. "What do we do?"

"What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?!" shrieked Mr Charles. "WHAT DO YOU THINK, MAN?! GET US OUT OF HERE! NOW!"

Dawkins turned the Helijet sharply to the left and quickly descended in height by five-hundred feet. It was now flying West above the treetops of Sherwood Forest.

The mysterious object that had buzzed them had been Thunderbird 1, using its far superior speed to appear and vanish in an instant. Scott had fired a sonic amplifier onto the hull beforehand so he could send his warning message through. "Well, they've changed course," he reported. "They should be crossing your path any moment now, FAB1."

FAB1 had been flying about two miles to the West of Thunderbird 1 and the Helijet. Both had used their superior speeds to catch up to it. Even though it was against flying regulations, Penelope was flying FAB1 with the headlamps off so as not to be seen by the men in the Helijet.

"There they are," said Penelope as the lights of the Helijet began to cross their path.

"Are you gonna use missiles to shoot them down?" asked Gordon.

"No, Gordon. There's no need for that. Watch this." With a smirk, she pressed a button on FAB1's dashboard.

There was a sharp BANG as the tracking device that she'd planted on the fuselage of the Helijet suddenly exploded. It rocked violently and almost turned over onto its side. Both Mr Charles and Dawkins were almost thrown out of their seats again as it shook about and then began to lose altitude rapidly falling at a diagonal descent towards the forest below.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!" screamed Mr Charles. "DO SOMETHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

Dawkins battled desperately with the controls, but it was no use. The Helijet was leaking fuel and was leaving a trail of smoke and flame behind it as it fell. "IT'S NO GOOD, MR CHARLES! WE'VE HAD IT!"

"YOU MIGHT HAVE!" bellowed Mr Charles as he forced open the cockpit door. "BUT I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!"

"MR CHARLES!"

Too late, Mr Charles, along with the sack full of the Crown Jewels, leapt out of the Helijet…without a parachute! Straight away he was pulled down by the heavy weight of the sack and disappeared into the treetops.

It was also too late for Dawkins to do anything to save himself. The lights on the front of the falling Helijet were now illuminating the rapidly approaching trees. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGH!" Dawkins's scream of anguish went unheard as the Helijet smashed through the trees, slammed into the ground and exploded in a colossal fireball that not only lit up part of the sky and caused several trees to catch alight as well.

"Oh, goodness!" gasped Penelope. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"What are we going to do now?" asked Gordon. "We can't fight the fire without Thunderbird 2!"

"You called?"

"Virgil!" exclaimed Penelope, Gordon and Scott together.

At last, Thunderbird 2 had caught up with them. Virgil quickly saw the flames from the forest and knew what he had to do. "Thunderbird 5, we have a situation. There's a fire in the forest. Where's the nearest stretch of water?"

"There's a reservoir about five miles South-East of you, Thunderbird 2," answered John. "But you'd better make it fast before that fire can spread too much."

"Already on it!" said Virgil. He turned Thunderbird 2 around and hurried over to the reservoir. When he reached it, he lowered a suction hose from a hatch underneath the module and began to pump water into it until it was full. Then he raced back as fast as Thunderbird 2 could fly. He passed over the fire and released the water. The water cascaded down over the fire like a waterfall.

"Ha! Bullseye!" said Alan.

"Pass completed," said Virgil as he started to turn Thunderbird 2 around again.

"No need, Thunderbird 2," Scott piped in. "Looks like that's all that is needed."

He wasn't wrong. The water that had been dropped over the fire had indeed been enough to extinguish it. The danger to the forest was over.

"Phew," said Scott. "Well done, Virgil."

"Thanks, Scott," said Virgil. "Although what about the guys you were after?"

Penelope, Scott and Gordon's faces fell. "Inside the Helijet when it crashed," said Scott.

"They couldn't have stood a chance," added Gordon. "Really wanted to see that guy face-to-face."

"And we've lost the Crown Jewels as well," finished Penelope gloomily. "The country's going to be in absolute turmoil when this news gets out."

John had decided at that very moment to run a scan of the forest around the crash-site and was surprised by what he picked up. "Actually, maybe not all is lost," he said. "I've just run a scan for life-signs in the forest. And I've got one! In a tree just a few hundred yards East of where the Helijet crashed." He sent the life-sign to the scans of the other two Thunderbirds and FAB1. Sure enough, there was the life sign of a lone figure amongst the branches of one of the trees. There was a clearing nearby also. It wasn't big enough for Thunderbirds 1 or 2 to land in, but FAB1 could easily.

Penelope felt her heart lift a little. "One is better than none! Thanks, John - and please forgive me for not doing what you suggested."

"I forgive you, Lady Penelope," said John with a smile. "I also took the liberty of alerting the GDF and they're on their way to meet you."

"Do you need us to stay with you until they arrive, Lady P?" Scott asked.

"No, thank you, Scott," said Penelope. "It might be best whoever that is doesn't know that it was International Rescue that helped bring them down. And besides, I have my help in FAB1 with me. She looked over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at Gordon who blushed.

"Okay," said Scott. "Sounds like you might be spending some time with Penelope, Gordon."

"Like I'd have a problem with that?" Gordon answered cheekily.

"Someone can come get you tomorrow, Gordon," said Virgil. "We'll explain everything to Dad."

"Thanks, guys," said Gordon. He waved as Thunderbirds 1 and 2 turned and zoomed away into the night sky. Within a few seconds, both were out of sight. Gordon then turned to Penelope. "What now?" he asked.

Penelope had already begun to descend FAB1 towards the ground. "Let's see who our survivor is, shall we?" she asked.


After landing FAB1 in the clearing, Penelope and Gordon exited the car and made their way through the trees towards where the life sign signal was coming from.

"According to my readings, they should be around here somewhere," said Gordon.

Penelope opened her compact. "John, how close are we to our target?"

"A few more trees along and you should find them," answered John. "And the GDF are on their way so you won't need to keep guard on them for long."

Penelope was pleased. "Thank you, John."

Gordon suddenly let out a gasp. "Pen! Look!"

Penelope came to look as Gordon shone his flashlight onto the forest floor. She gasped as well. It was a jewelled crown. One of the ones she'd seen being loaded into the sack. "Oh, my Gosh…" she said.

Gordon shone the light around. Sure enough, there were more items lying around. Some sceptres, more crowns and other items as well as a large grey sack which still had some items inside of it.

"Gordon…we've found the Crown Jewels!" Penelope gasped in relief.

"They must have been thrown from the Helijet by whoever it was who jumped out," said Gordon.

"Yes," said Penelope. "And I think I have a sneaky suspicion who it was." She shone her own flashlight up into the tree above them. There were too many leaves and branches to be able to see anyone, but they could hear the sound of leaves rustling as well as annoyed grunting, like someone moving about. "Up there," she said.

"How are we gonna get them down?" asked Gordon.

"You'll have to climb up and lower him down with your makeshift harness," said Penelope.

"Me?!" exclaimed Gordon, "but-" He broke off and thought for a moment. Then a smirk crossed his face. "F-A-B."

Gordon used special grippers in his gloves and boots to climb up the trunk of the tree. Up and up he went, moving between the thick branches. Some were quite tricky to get around but he managed. All the while, he could still hear the sound of someone grunting.

"DAWKINS?!" a voice called out suddenly. "DAWKINS, IS THAT YOU?!"

Gordon made his way round and came into view of the man who the voice belonged to. There was Mr Charles, entangled in some branches. "Mr Charles, I presume?"

"SIR Charles to you!" snapped the man who'd lost his monocle. "How do you know my name?! And who the hell are you?!"

"I'm with International Rescue," said Gordon. "I've come to get you down."

"You will do just that!" snapped Mr Charles. "And then you will help me get out of the country with my property!"

"Your property?" Gordon repeated as he began to set up his harness. "And what would that be, Mr Charles?"

"SIR Charles! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME THE FIRST TIME?!"

Gordon ignored the outburst and continued to set up the harness, using a branch above and then the trunk of the tree as holders for the pulleys and rope. He then began to try and fix the harness to Mr Charles.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" thundered Mr Charles. "I'll put this infernal thing on myself!"

"Fine, suit yourself," Gordon said, trying his best to be ignorant of Mr Charles and what he'd done. He waited for Mr Charles to awkwardly get himself in the harness, then began to use a fold-out saw from his toolbelt to cut the branches that he was tangled in. Once free, he began to lower Mr Charles to the ground.

"Once I'm down, get yourself down to help me!" demanded Mr Charles.

"Oh, I'm sure my friend waiting down on the ground can help you," Gordon replied smugly.

Mr Charles failed to notice Gordon's smugness. He was desperate to reach the ground and get his hands back on the Crown Jewels. "HURRY UP, DAMN YOU!" he bellowed as Gordon was being deliberately slow with lowering him to the ground.

Gordon just smirked. "I wish I could see his face when he gets down there," he said to himself.

Mr Charles broke through the canopy of the tree and was soon approaching the ground. As he looked around, he saw a dark figure standing nearby. "YOU THERE!" he barked. "ARE YOU FROM INTERNATIONAL RESCUE AS WELL?!"

"No, but thanks to them I'm able to see you again, Mr Charles."

Mr Charles froze. He recognised the voice. "Wh-Wh-WHAT?!" he exclaimed in shock.

The figure turned the light of their torch under their face so as to not blind themselves with it. Penelope was now clearly visible to Mr Charles who turned as white as a sheet. "Surprised to see me, Mr Charles?"

Mr Charles was too shocked to say anything. Instead he began to tremble. His legs turned to jelly…and then with a soft moan, he fainted.

By the time Gordon had abseiled back down to the ground, Mr Charles was flat out on his back on the forest floor. "Well…I wish I'd seen his face."


Mr Charles wasn't unconscious for very long. By the time he'd come round, Gordon had bound him to the trunk of the tree with the same rope he'd used to lower him to the ground. Penelope meanwhile had used gloved hands to recover all the missing pieces of the Crown Jewels and put them back inside the sack.

"He's coming round," Gordon said.

Penelope came over to join them. "Nice of you to come round to us again, Mr Charles."

"Stop calling me that!" he spat. "It's S-"

"Your title was taken away from you!" Penelope interrupted. "Please stop pretending that it hasn't."

Mr Charles began cursing under his breath. Then he looked back at Penelope. "How are you alive?" he asked. "There was no way you could have defused the bomb."

"You're right," said Gordon. "Those fake wires certainly caught us out. Luckily we were able to throw it in the river before it went off."

Mr Charles stared from one to the other. He then looked somewhat alarmed when Gordon began to crack his knuckles.

The distant hum of aircraft engines could be heard.

"Ah, good, they're here," said Penelope. "Gordon, please bring them here."

"What?!" exclaimed Gordon. "I'm not leaving you alone with him!"

Penelope gave him a stern look. "Gordon…I don't think he's going anywhere. Please?"

Gordon looked back at Mr Charles, gave a frustrated sigh and walked away, looking back every few seconds to make sure Mr Charles wasn't trying anything.

"Where's Dawkins?" Mr Charles asked.

"I'm afraid he didn't make it out of the Helijet before it crashed," said Penelope.

Mr Charles began mumbling again.

"I'm very intrigued as to why you carried out all these crimes, Mr Charles," said Penelope. "I honestly can't see how what you've taken would do for you."

"The items themselves mean nothing to me," said Mr Charles. "But to my ancestors, the Granvilles, they were their prides and joys. They were stripped of everything by Richard The Lionheart. They were convicted of cowardice during the war but it was all rubbish. My family could NEVER RUN AWAY FROM A FIGHT!"

"The Lionheart was known for being a kind and generous man," said Penelope. "I much prefer his side of the story to yours."

Mr Charles went red with fury. "YOU'RE LIKE ALL THE REST! AND THAT'S WHY I TARGETED YOUR MANSION! THE CREIGHTONS AND THE WARDS WERE INFLUENTIAL IN RICHARD'S DECISION!"

"Is that why you intended to blow up my house…and my family with it?" Penelope asked, her eyes suddenly looking deadly dangerous.

"I never wanted blood on my hands, but I had no choice!" Mr Charles said. "I couldn't risk leaving any evidence behind!"

"But you didn't count on me being smarter than you think, Mr Charles," said Penelope. "You see, I'm no ordinary society person. I'm far, far more than you could ever even think."

"You can't prove anything!" Mr Charles snarled. "They'll never be able to hold me!"

Gordon then returned. "You keep telling yourself that, pal," he said.

"Indeed," said Penelope. She pulled out a small black box from her coat pocket and pushed a button.

"You can't prove anything! They'll never be able to hold me!"

Mr Charles's face went as white as a sheet once more.

"This has recorded everything that we've just spoken about," said Penelope. "Everything you've said can and will be used against you when you're brought to trial."

Just then a group of GDF soldiers emerged from the trees, having followed Gordon. Leading them was Hayley. "Good evening, Lady Penelope," she said. "I believe you have something for us?"

"Two things actually," said Penelope. "First of all, this sack contains all of the Crown Jewels that were stolen from the Tower of London. And secondly," she pointed to Mr Charles, "there's the man who not only orchestrated it, but is also responsible for robbing and destroying Stately-Homes around the Midlands - including an attempt on my own." She handed the recording device to Hayley. "That's a recording of his confession. I hope it will be of use."

Hayley smiled. "It certainly will," she said. "Thank you, Lady Penelope. We'll take it from here."

Penelope nodded. "Thank you, Captain Madison," she said. Then she turned to Mr Charles who did not look at all confident as he had done about a minute before. "Goodbye, Mr Charles. Your family would be very proud of you. I believe they ended up in prison as well." And with that she walked away with Gordon following.

Hayley and her team approached Mr Charles. "Greetings, Mr Charles. My name is Captain Madison. You are under arrest."

Mr Charles just brooded over his defeat.


As they walked back to FAB1, Gordon was suddenly struck by a thought. "Wait a minute, did you say that device recorded everything that was said?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" Penelope asked.

"But that means your voice is on there!" Gordon cried. "Your cover will be blown!"

But Penelope gave a smile. "No, Gordon. That device is tuned to only record male voices. Brains sent it to me some time ago. Something to do with the lower optic vocal cords or something along those lines."

"Oh…" said Gordon, impressed. "You've done it again, Brains. What now?"

"I think home," said Penelope. "And I think Mother and Father will be very happy to see you."

Gordon blushed.


Lord Patrick and Lady Patricia were indeed pleased to see Gordon and were over the Moon when they heard that the two had mended their broken relationship. Penelope also had to come clean about going after Mr Charles and that together with Gordon and Scott they'd been able to stop Mr Charles and retrieve the Crown Jewels.

"I say, you do get yourself into some scrapes, don't you, Pen?" said Lord Patrick at the breakfast table. "I'm very glad things worked out in the end."

"And that's all thanks to you, Gordon," said Lady Patricia. "I dread to think what we would have done to that nasty man if he'd succeeded in his scheme."

"Well, we don't need to worry about that now, Mother," said Penelope. "Mr Charles will be handed over to the Metropolitan Police and they will deal with him accordingly.

Parker came in with more tea and coffee for them. "The morning paper 'as arrived, m'lord," he said. "I think you'll find the main h'article quite interesting."

Patrick took the newspaper and looked at the front cover. "Good gracious!" he said with a broad grin. "Disgraced Aristocrat Revealed as Stately-Home Terrorist! In the early hours of this morning, a shocking and daring heist was undertaken at the Tower of London. All security systems and guards were bypassed and the Crown Jewels were stolen. It would also appear that a bomb was planted inside but somehow it managed to be removed where it harmlessly detonated in the Thames."

"So International Rescue weren't actually seen?" Gordon asked. "That's surprising."

"The heist was carried out by two men," Patrick continued. "One was identified as the former Sir Charles Granville who it has been discovered was not only behind this atrocity, but is also responsible for the destruction of several Stately-Homes around the country. His reasons or motives have yet to be disclosed whilst the Police continue their investigation. His accomplice was killed when their Helijet mysteriously crashed in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham."

"Quite the story," said Patricia. "Although has anything been said about Penelope?"

"I haven't got that far yet, dear," replied Patrick.

Parker gave a cough after pouring some more coffee for Gordon. "H'I took the liberty of 'aving a quick read before bring it h'in, m'lord," he said. "There is mention of m'lady here. That Charles bloke 'as h'openly told the coppers that she was the one who nabbed 'im. Right down the bottom you will find it."

Patrick turned a couple of pages to read the rest of the article. Sure enough there was mention of Penelope. "Ah, here we are! Inspector Corner of the Yard said that he knew of Lady Penelope, and stated that no finer person has ever graced this Earth. It was impossible, he said, for Lady Creighton-Ward to be associated with criminals in any way."

Penelope blushed. "Goodness me," she said. "Well, after a compliment like that. I think maybe we'll need to get some tickets for the Policeman's Ball."

"As long as you don't h'ask me along, m'lady," said Parker who then left rather abruptly much to the amusement of the others.