DUSK was starting to fall as FAB1 headed along the long open road through the Pennines as it made its way back South towards Creighton Manor. Parker didn't feel any less comfortable than he had done on the journey up. But this time it was different. He wasn't concerned about being inside the prison anymore, but about what Fred had said to them.

"Do you think there's any truth in what Fred was saying, Parker?" Penelope asked.

"What 'e's said is mainly gossip, m'lady," said Parker. "But I 'ave this 'orrible feeling in me stomach that 'e was telling h'us the truth."

"How dangerous is Cobblepot?" asked Penelope.

"Extremely dangerous, m'lady," said Parker. "As bad h'as The 'ood, that's a certainty. 'e will never let bygones be bygones. If h'anyone upset 'im h'or 'is father…they never lived to regret it,"

Those words sent shivers down Penelope's spine. "That's very distressing to hear," she said. "It's a good thing Brains made those upgrades to the mansion's defences. Should Mr Cobblepot even think about paying us an uninvited visit, he'll be in for quite the surprise."

"H'I 'ope you're right, m'lady," said Parker. "H'I really do 'ope you're right."

Deep down, Penelope was thinking the same thing.

"Should we tell Mr Tracy about this?" asked Parker.

"No, I don't think so, Parker," Penelope replied. "I'm sure he and the boys have their own problems to deal with. Let's not burden them with something we should be handling ourselves."

The GDF Flyer was heading back towards Rio de Janeiro with Thunderbird Shadow flying escort beside it. It was however flying on autopilot as Kayo was aboard the Flyer itself along with Colonel Jennings and Obsidian. Silver Swan had been placed on a conveyor table, held down by metal restraints. She had not yet regained consciousness and therefore wasn't causing them any problems.

Colonel Jennings brought up a hologram list showing each member of the former Cabal. "Shocker is in custody. White Ghost is deceased. Silver Swan is now in custody. That's half of The Cabal taken care of," she was saying. "Just The Hood, Techno and The Black Phantom to go."

"Do you think there's any truth in what my sister's been saying?" asked Obsidian. "Could The Hood really be missing?"

"Either he is, or he's had enough of Swan and decided to ditch her," said Kayo. "She might claim to be in love with him, but I know for a fact it's not mutual."

Obsidian shuddered. "That makes me sick," he said. "The age gap between them is colossal! And to think she thinks of The Hood as the best person in the world? Bullsh-!"

"Watch your language, soldier!" snapped Colonel Jennings.

"Sorry, Colonel," apologised Obsidian. "But you can't disagree that she's out of her mind and needs help?"

"She needs several things, Obsidian," said Colonel Jennings. "She needs to answer for her crimes to start with. Then perhaps we can see about getting her some help." She turned to Kayo. "Even though we have Swan in custody now, I'm not sure I'll be entirely comfortable about putting her on trial whilst she's still in that suit. I don't suppose you could ask either of your technical people whether they can come up with something to get her out of it?"

Kayo pondered. "Brains loves a challenge," she said. "He helped The Mechanic to break free of The Hood's control. They did together also come up with a potential cure for Ghost, although she was too far gone for it to have worked potentially. I'll ask them as soon as I return back to base."

Colonel Jennings smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Kayo. we couldn't have done this without you today."

Kayo nodded. "Pleasure was mine, Colonel. Now, I'd best get back to help the others clean up in Rio."

"Of course," said Colonel Jennings. "Head up to the access hatch on the top of the aircraft and you can reboard your ship there."

Wishing them farewell, Kayo climbed up several stairs and ladders before she reached the top of the Flyer. Opening a hatch mounted on the top of the fuselage, she climbed out and used her magnetic boots to remain on the aircraft to allow Thunderbird Shadow to move in and collect her. Soon she was back inside the cockpit and moving away from the Flyer, heading towards Rio.

"Thunderbird 1 from Thunderbird Shadow. I'm done with the GDF part of the mission. Do you guys need any help?"

"Kayo. It's good to hear your voice," said Scott. "All's good with us, we're just cleaning up from a gas explosion. Perhaps you could go to the makeshift medical center in the park and assist Hayley?"

"F-A-B," said Kayo.

Scott turned back around to observe the clean-up operation. The Fire-Fighters had been successful in putting out the gas fire. Now Alan and Gordon were finishing off the job by pushing as much dirt and rubble as Virgil could supply them with into the hole in the road made by the explosion using the Pods that were now reconfigured as Bulldozers.

"This is the last one, guys," said Virgil as he flew overhead with Thunderbird 2 and a grabber full of earth. "That should fill it up nicely."

"Woo!" said Alan. "I sure am glad of that."

Once Thunderbird 2 had deposited the dirt, Alan used his Pod to spread the dirt out evenly before Gordon used the blade of his to smoothen it off.

"There, finished!" Gordon said. "It's not a good job, I'll admit."

"No, but it'll serve until the city can get it repaired properly," agreed Scott. "Good job, guys." He then called John. "Thunderbird 5, what else is left to do?"

"Actually nothing, Thunderbird 1," said John. "All fires have been extinguished and no further search and rescues in progress. You can all stand-down now."

Hearing this was a great sense of relief for the brothers who had been working flat out for a good while now and were feeling the need for a rest.

After finding a suitable landing zone for both Thunderbirds, they headed over to the park where the medical base was set up. They found Kayo assisting Hayley with unloading supplies from a Helijet that had just flown in.

"Hey, guys!" said Hayley, giving them all a welcoming grin. She and Virgil both wanted to share a kiss, but they did not as they were strictly there on official business and not pleasure. "The fact you're all here would suggest the danger is over?"

"John says it is," said Scott. "How are things here?"

"Quite a large number of casualties, but nothing too serious from what we can tell," Hayley said. "The worst cases have been admitted to hospitals. The less serious ones have been brought here."

The brothers looked around at those who were being treated under tents to protect them from the Sun. As he looked around, Scott noticed the Mother and children who he had saved from the apartment building. The Mother was on oxygen and didn't notice, but the two kids did. They smiled and waved at him. He smiled too and waved back.

Gordon slapped Kayo on the shoulder. "Good job with catching Swan, Kayo."

"Yeah, you rock!" added Alan.

Kayo tried not to blush. "Thanks, guys, but I can't take all the credit," she said. "Swan was definitely a handful. I couldn't have done it without Obsidian."

"You know what, I'd kind of forgotten he existed," said Scott.

"He's been absent for quite some time," agreed Virgil. "Where's he been?"

"He's been on a special assignment in space," said Hayley. "Details of which I cannot disclose I'm afraid."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Military secrets," he said.

"Damn right," Hayley said. She gave Virgil a knowing wink and he tried not to laugh. It was at that moment that Hayley's watch began beeping urgently. "Oh, excuse me." She turned away to answer it.

"Well, I guess there's not a lot more we can do here," said Scott. "Should we head back to base?"

"Sounds good to me," said Alan. "I'm beat."

Gordon began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Alan asked.

But before Gordon could reply, Hayley suddenly returned looking very worried. "Er, guys, we've got a situation. I've just had an emergency alert from Colonel Jennings. Swan has regained consciousness and has broken loose. She's causing chaos inside the-"

A loud BANG caught everyone's attention. All eyes turned towards the sky, just in time to see the GDF Flyer heading over the far side of the city, beginning to lose height as a long plume of smoke was being emitted from its Port-engine.

"How the hell did she break loose?!" Kayo asked.

"Never mind that now!" said Virgil. "We need to stop that Flyer from crashing into the city! Come on!"

The brothers and Kayo raced back to their ships as fast as they could and were soon airborne once more, racing across the city and then the bay towards the falling Flyer. Luckily it had already managed to clear the city, but there was now a danger of it crashing into one of the islands before anyone aboard could bail out.

Virgil quickly brought Thunderbird 2 above the Flyer and opened the hatch underneath the module. He fired two cables which caught onto the wings. "I'm not gonna be able to hold this for long!" Virgil said. "Scott, I need you to attach a line to the front. Kayo, can you grab hold of the tail with Thunderbird Shadow's claws?"

"You got it, Virgil!" said Scott.

"I'm on it!" added Kayo.

Thunderbird 1 zoomed around in front of Thunderbird 2. Scott opened the underside hatch and then fired a towing onto the top of the front of the Flyer just above the cockpit. Kayo manoeuvred Thunderbird S to the tail-section and lowered the landing claws before grabbing hold of the tail.

Gordon looked out of the cockpit window of Thunderbird 2 at the burning engine. "That fire's starting to spread!" he said. "If the wing catches fire-"

"The whole aircraft could break up if that wing fails," said Virgil. "Colonel Jennings, this is Thunderbird 2. Can you read me?"

"Yes! I hear you!" Colonel Jennings's frantic voice replied. "Where the hell are you guys?"

"We're already here," Virgil said. "Thunderbirds 1, 2 and Shadow have got grapples and clamps on but we're not gonna be able to do much. If we keep it steady, can you and your crew bail out?"

"Now that I know you guys are here, yes we can," said Colonel Jennings. She then spoke into a tannoy inside the Flyer. "This is Colonel Jennings. Abandon Flyer! Repeat - Abandon Flyer! International Rescue will pick you up once in the ocean. Good luck to you all!"

Alarms were already wailing inside the Flyer as the crew and soldiers quickly got into their escape equipment. The hatch underneath the front of the aircraft was lowered and two by two, the occupants began to leap from the doomed aircraft.

"Man, this thing's heavy!" said Gordon. "And we're still losing altitude. Can we make it in time?"

"Thunderbird 5, are you tuned in, John?" asked Virgil.

"I sure am, Virgil," said John.

"Can you watch the number of heat signatures exiting the Flyer and tell us when we're down to the last ones?"

"F-A-B," said John. "I can see they're already bailing out."

"Er, we can't actually see from where we are," said Alan.

"I can," said Kayo. "They're jumping out two at a time."

"Then let us know when the last two have jumped, Thunderbird 5," said Virgil. "Then we can let this crate drop into the ocean."

It was touch and go for the next minute. Scott, Virgil and Kayo had to use all their skills and every ounce of power that their aircraft could muster to try and slow the descent of the Flyer.

Soon it was only Colonel Jennings and one other soldier left. "You and me together," she said. "One! Two! Three!" They jumped.

John could see on his holographic screen that the Flyer was now empty. "That's all of them," he said. "Let it go!"

Scott, Virgil and Kayo released their clamps and grabs respectively and pulled away as quickly as they could whilst making sure they weren't going to collide with each other. The Flyer's descent increased dramatically and those parachuting down could do nothing but watch as it smashed nose-first into the ocean. It did not explode but flipped over onto its back instead. It lay there for a few moments whilst it slowly filled up with water and then began to sink out of sight. It was fortunate for them all that there were now vessels in the area.

"Colonel Jennings from Thunderbird 1. Is everyone accounted for?"

"Affirmative," said Colonel Jennings.

"Good," said Scott. "Thunderbird 2 will pick you all up."

Once Thunderbird 2 had recovered all of the life-rafts with the crew of the Flyer aboard, Virgil returned them to the relative safety of Rio where they joined the other casualties in the Med-Camp. Nobody was seriously hurt, but Colonel Jennings was not in a good mood.

"What happened up there, Colonel?" asked Scott.

"I wish I knew, Tracy," Colonel Jennings answered sharply. "One minute Swan was unconscious and strapped to the table. The next she lets out an almighty sonic scream, practically taking everyone inside the Flyer down, then broke free and began to attack anyone who tried to get near her before she managed to get the cargo door open and escape. Obsidian went after her."

"He won't catch her," said Gordon. "From what Kayo said his suit isn't as fast as hers is."

"No…" said Kayo. "But…" She pressed her wrist communicator and brought up a holographic map that showed them the continent of South America. On it was a red blip which was flashing.

"What is that?" asked Alan.

Virgil quickly guessed before Kayo could answer. "Did you plant a tracker on Swan?"

Kayo nodded, a smile forming on her face. "I placed it on her when I was on the Flyer. I figured we ought to be prepared in case something like this happened."

"Meaning you can track her wherever she goes!" Colonel Jennings realised, suddenly not sounding as angry as she had been before.

"Exactly!" said Kayo. "With your permission, Colonel, I'll take up the pursuit and assist Obsidian with taking her down again?"

"You don't need my permission, Kayo," said Colonel Jennings. "All I'm going to ask is 'Why are you still here?' Go get her!"

Kayo nodded and hurried off after Obsidian and Silver Swan in Thunderbird Shadow.

Following the signal via the tracker on Thunderbird 5, Kayo soon caught up to Obsidian who was trailing a little way behind Silver Swan.

"Hey, Obsidian!"

"Kayo! I knew you'd come!"

"Colonel Jennings has already filled me in," Kayo said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes…which is more than Catherine's gonna be when I'm done with her!" Obsidian said with a growl.

"Don't worry. I planted a tracker on her when I was aboard the Flyer," said Kayo. "It's still broadcasting. Wherever she goes, we'll be able to find her."

"What if she finds it?" asked Obsidian.

"She won't. Trust me," said Kayo. "I don't suppose you have any ideas where she might be going?"

"No, but I did manage to hear something she said before she escaped the Flyer," said Obsidian. "She was saying 'I'm coming, my love. I'm coming'."

Kayo frowned. "The Hood?"

"Well who else is she sick enough to be madly in love with?" asked Obsidian.

"Perhaps he's found a way to contact her from wherever he's been taken," said Kayo. "If we follow Swan from a safe distance, she could lead us right to him."

"Good plan," said Obsidian. "But unless that location is within the next hundred miles, my suit's power will run out. This was built for fighting and demolition, not flying long distances."

Kayo thought for a moment. Then she had an idea. "Save your power and strength, Obsidian. I can carry you with Thunderbird Shadows claws like when I threw you at her."

Obsidian grinned. "Brilliant!" he said.

So Kayo lowered Thunderbird Shadows claws and grabbed onto Obsidian. He powered down his suit and allowed himself to be carried by the sleek, black aircraft as they set off in pursuit of Silver Swan.

For Obsidian, being carried so high up off the ground as they passed over the Andes would normally terrify anyone. He however was finding it quite enjoyable. "Hey, Kayo?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were we ever enemies?" asked Obsidian. "This is the best team-up I've ever done."

Kayo was surprised by this statement, but she had no reason to dispute it. It wasn't her best team-up in her eyes, but if it made Obsidian happy then it was good enough for her.

It soon became apparent that they could see the ocean ahead of them. They were coming over the Peruvian coastline and heading out over the Pacific.

"Is she still ahead of us?" asked Obsidian.

Kayo checked the scanner. "Signal's still coming from about fifty miles ahead of us."

"But that's the Pacific Ocean," said Obsidian. "There's nothing in front of us for thousands and thousands of miles. Where the hell is she heading?"

"I don't know," Kayo replied. "But wherever she goes, we'll follow her."

The pursuit ended up being a lot longer than they expected. Six hours to be exact as they followed Swan all the way across the Pacific Ocean until eventually, a coastline appeared on the horizon.

Obsidian, who by now was bored of being carried, wanted to take her down. "Aw, come ON! Let's get it over with!"

"We have to be sure she's leading us to The Hood," Kayo replied.

Just then John called in. "Thunderbird Shadow. Report please."

"Still tracking Thunderbird 5. But she's approaching a coastline. She has to be getting us close to where The Hood is. Can you give us a position check, please?"

John checked the location of Thunderbird Shadow on Thunderbird 5's big globe hologram map with the landmass that they were approaching. What it showed him took him by surprise. "Woah…Kayo, you've gone across the entire Pacific Ocean. You're approaching Malaysia."

"Malaysia?!" repeated Kayo. "But that's…That's…" She trailed off. Her whole body had gone very cold. Shivers could be felt down her spine and they seemed to increase the closer they got to the coastline which was now very visible.

"Kayo?" John asked. "Kayo, are you okay?"

Kayo snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry, John. We'll be taking Swan down imminently. Just give Colonel Jennings our location once we've succeeded in the recapture."

"F-A-B," said John. "Good luck."

"What was that all about?" Obsidian asked.

"What was what?" Kayo asked back.

"You sounded…odd just then," said Obsidian. "Like…Like you were afraid."

"Afraid?!" Kayo was offended. "I'm not afraid of your sister, Obsidian. You're right though. This chase has gone on for too long. We can make her tell us where The Hood is. Come on!"

"Finally!" Obsidian muttered to himself as Thunderbird Shadow picked up speed.

Silver Swan had been completely oblivious to Thunderbird Shadow being in pursuit. She had frequently checked behind her, but the aircraft had been following at such a distance that she couldn't see it. In the six hours it had taken to cross the Pacific, she'd become a lot more relaxed with only one thing on her mind: finding the man she loved. "Your signal is so close, my love," she said as she flew across the thick jungle of Malaysia. "Soon we'll be reunited once again."

Now flying low over the jungle, Swan was so busy focussing on the many treetops, looking for any sign of where The Hood might be that she was not paying attention to her surroundings.

"There she is!" Obsidian said.

"I see her," said Kayo. "You ready?"

Obsidian powered up his suit. "I was born ready!"

Kayo turned Thunderbird Shadow sharply to the right and then began to dive down towards Silver Swan, picking up speed as they went. Faster and faster until she'd got the trajectory just right. Then she released the claws and sent Obsidian rocketing at great speed straight at her.

"OBSIDIAN…SMASH!"

Swan heard the yell and turned herself around just a fraction of a second too late to do anything about it. She let out a scream as Obsidian slammed into her, his momentum sending them both crashing into the jungle, ripping through the trees and undergrowth, cutting out a perfectly straight path as they impacted the ground, being thrown through the air and becoming separated. They both bounced once, then twice, and then another ten times at least before both came to an eventual stop, groaning in pain in a clearing several miles further on.

"Uuuuuurgh!" groaned Obsidian as he slowly picked himself up. "I'm never doing that again."

Swan also struggled to recover from this impact. She turned slowly and faced her brother, fury in her eyes. "How…" she began. "How…did you…find me?"

"With this," said Kayo, suddenly appearing from behind her. She grabbed Swan's arms and pulled them round behind her back before placing some strong cuffs made of unbreakable steel.

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Swan. she tried at first to break free but became dizzy and then fell to her knees before bursting into tears. "I was so close. So close to finding him. And you TOOK THAT FROM ME!"

"It's over, sis," said Obsidian. "We cannot do this again. It's over. Do you get that?"

Swan didn't answer. Instead she just continued to cry.

"I'll call Thunderbird 5," Kayo said. "Then we can inform…" Her voice trailed off.

Obsidian looked at her and frowned. Kayo had gone very still. Her skin began to go pale. "Kayo?" he asked. "What's the matter?" He waved his hand in front of her face but got no reaction.

Swan looked up at them both. She too became confused by Kayo's spooked expression. It looked as though she had seen something. They looked at each other and then looked down the clearing in the direction she was staring at. Both then blinked in surprise, for standing about a quarter of a mile away, at the end of the clearing, was a vast stone temple that was slowly being consumed by the jungle growing around it.

"What the hell?" asked Obsidian. "I don't recall that being there a moment ago."

Swan managed to get to her feet. "He's there," she said.

"What?"

"The Hood," said Swan. "The signal I've been following across the ocean. It's coming from over there. He must be in there!" She hurried up to her brother and began to beg. "Fuse! Clarence! Please! I'm begging you. You have to help me find him. Please…"

Obsidian didn't know what to make of this. His sister, the tough villain he'd been fighting against, was now a sobbing mess, tears streaking down her face. He then noticed Kayo who had slowly walked past them both, unable to take her eyes off the temple.

"This isn't right," Kayo said, her voice shaking. "I saw it blow up! It was destroyed! H-How can this be?"

Swan and Obsidian exchanged puzzled looks and then began to follow her towards the temple.

"What are you talking about, Kayo?" asked Obsidian.

"Who cares?" snapped Swan. "Just take these damn cuffs off me and-"

Kayo suddenly stood in front of them both. "Don't move!" she said suddenly.

The siblings stopped. Kayo was still staring at the temple, only now they realised why she'd made them stop. There was a faint rumbling sound coming from the temple and a small object could now be seen rising slowly out of the top. It looked like a searchlight.

"What is that?" asked Obsidian.

Before anyone else could answer, a powerful bright white light began to shine out from the device, bathing them in its beam. A strange pulsating noise seemed to accompany it. It got brighter. Then dimmer. Then brighter again. Then dimmer again. This process continued again and again and Kayo, Obsidian and Swan could do absolutely nothing. They couldn't speak. They couldn't move. They were completely transfixed by the pulsating light. Then they began to feel light-headed. Their eyes got heavier. And then with a groan, Obsidian collapsed onto the ground and passed out. Then Swan groaned and fell down, landing on top of her adopted brother. Finally, it was Kayo who succumbed to the light and fell face-first into the mud. Only then did the light finally go completely dim and then off, leaving the trio completely out cold and at the mercy of the shadowy figures who were now emerging from the temple, heading directly towards them.

TO BE CONTINUED…!