Scott stirred a little but didn't wake asCharlie drove the car speedily past a sign saying "Welcome to London." In the back seat, Ted kept an eye on Scott but his mind was on the transaction ahead.
"How busy do you think the bridge will be at this time of night?"
"Nice and quiet, I reckon, But we're not going anywhere near there until we get half the money in the account first."
"What if he doesn't pay the rest after we give him matey here?"
"It's a risk but better half the money than none. We'll still have more than enough for a luxury retirement somewhere hot and sunny. Check your phone again; have we got the money?
Ted checked his phone and then gave a yelp of excitement, slapping the unresponsive Scott on the arm."
"It's there – it's bloody there!"
Charlie tried to remain calm but thumped the steering wheel with satisfaction.
"Right, Westminster Bridge here we come."
Tin Tin was rubbing her father's back. Kyrano had his eyes tightly shut, trying to concentrate. He felt nauseous and dizzy but he had a purpose. The Hood wasn't concerned with him, even though Kyrano could feel his euphoria. He tried to follow the energy back to its source, hoping the Hood would be too preoccupied to sense him. Suddenly he got an image and muttered to Tin Tin quietly. Tin Tin, in turn, spoke to Alan on her wrist comm.
"He says he can see a clock face. It's on a big, gold clock, quite tall."
"Like a grandfather clock?" asked Alan.
Back in Lady Penelope's parlour, everyone was concentrating on Tin Tin's words. She spoke again.
"He can see a big clock, a bridge and a river."
"Big Ben!" said Lady Penelope. "An obvious landmark to meet someone in London."
"Then let's go!" said Virgil, back on his feet. "We'll take Thunderbird 2."
"And land it where, exactly, Virgil?" asked Lady Penelope. "Hyde Park probably has the room but it's too far away. I think the Rolls will be a quicker option to get us there more directly. I'll get Parker to bring it round to the front."
Five minutes later, the four of them were being driven at high speed by Parker towards the centre of London. The three brothers were frustrated that they weren't doing the driving themselves but had the utmost faith in Parker's skill behind the wheel of the pink Rolls Royce.
"What's our plan when we get there?" asked Gordon.
"What if we don't get there in time?" said Alan.
Virgil ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't used to dealing with his baby brothers' incessant questions without the help of Scott and John.
"If the Hood physically gets his hands on Scott, I expect Kyrano will know it and so will we. If nothing's happening when we get there, we hide out of sight until we see the transaction take place and then we move in. There's enough of us to cover the roads by the clock and bridge."
"And when we see Scott," continued Lady Penelope with a steely tone, "we do whatever we have to do to get him safely into our custody."
Alan then stated the worry that everyone else had kept to themselves.
"It's Scott we're talking about. Why hasn't he already gotten away somehow? He's not going to be held captive without a massive fight. What have they done to him to make him so compliant?"
There was silence in the car as no one wanted to consider what the answer might be.
Scott was starting to come round again as they reached Big Ben. Ted eyed him warily.
"Shall I stab him again?"
"No." Charlie was firm. "We need him to be able to walk a bit when we get there to make it easier to get him out of the car and into the buyer's van. It will look too suspicious if we have to carry him. We need him a bit awake, just not enough to cause us any trouble. We'll be fine as long as the buyer is on time."
Scott remained still in his seat but had enough awareness to be able to understand what was happening but also enough sense to keep his growing consciousness to himself as being awake last time hadn't helped his situation a whole lot. He cracked open one eye partially and could see the lights of a city sweep past. As they slowed down for a traffic light he glimpsed a sign pointing the direction to Buckingham Palace. London! Well, if he could get away from these goons, he at least had some knowledge of the local geography and would be able to get hidden in some of the twisty, narrow streets. If he could then somehow contact Lady Penelope then she would be able to help him. But he would need to get a greater grip of his senses if he was to make some sort of quick getaway. At the moment he didn't know if he could stand upright unaided, let alone run.
As their car approached Westminster Bridge at the base of Big Ben, Charlie and Ted scanned the road for the green van that their buyer had said he would be driving. It wasn't hard to spot as there was virtually no one else around and no vehicles crossing the bridge. They parked up near the van and waited nervously for a moment. A man got out of the driver's seat, went around to the back of the van and opened the back doors. Charlie picked up a bag from the passenger seat and pulled out Scott's International Rescue uniform.
"When I give you the nod, go round and get him out of the car," he instructed Ted. He opened his door and warily got out. He approached the man by the van and showed him the uniform. The two exchanged a couple of brief words and then Charlie nodded back at Ted who got out of the car and went around to Scott's side of the car. He pulled open the door.
"Come on, sunshine, time to go." He yanked Scott out and to his feet and Scott staggered in an exaggerated way. Suddenly the screeching of tyres echoed in the night and a pink Rolls Royce hove into view at speed.
Inside the Rolls, the occupants immediately spotted the car, van and their target.
"It's Scott! They're exchanging him!" yelled Virgil.
"Parker!" commanded Lady Penelope. "Quickly, a distraction. Aim to the left, well away from Scott."
Parker didn't need to be told twice. He pressed a button on the Rolls' control panel and a line of bullets hit the centre of the road. It had the desired effect of making the Hood, Ted and Charlie turn to look and instinctively duck.
Scott had no idea what was going on but he did realise that Ted didn't have a firm grip on him any more. Now was his chance but he didn't rate his ability to make a dash for freedom. Suddenly Gordon's advice, from what seemed a million years ago, came to mind. Think outside the box, Scott. If he couldn't run away then what could he do that was unexpected and would help his situation? Well, a spot of cold water should help jolt him awake. He pulled away from Ted, staggered the short distance to the wall of the bridge and crawled over. He fell and fell until he hit the cold, dark water of the Thames.
