PARKER along with several others had been thrown to the deck of the ship when the fuel barrel exploded. He managed to recover quickly and picked himself up to have a look around. But he couldn't see Penelope anywhere. "M'lady?!" Parker cried out staring in horror at the now burning lifeboat. "M'LADY!"
"BE READY, PARKER!" Penelope suddenly shouted back.
Parker breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank Cribbens!" he said to himself.
Penelope also had to wait for the right moment before she ran out towards Parker. Once again, the snipers tried to hit her but missed. Penelope put her left boot onto Parker's hands and he used all his strength to push her up into the air. She soon reached the same level as the snipers and was soon above them. Before either of them realised what was happening, she somersaulted through the air before striking them both down with a double-kick. She then threw herself back over the railing of the bridge wing before landing back on the deck below. She was surprised to find Parker propping himself up against the wall.
"Parker, are you okay?" Penelope asked, concerned.
"Ow, me back!" groaned Parker. "You're h'a lot 'eavier than I remembered, m'lady. No h'offence."
"None taken," Penelope said. "I think," she added quietly to herself.
They moved towards the door that Cobblepot had gone through, but as they were about to open it, it burst open, knocking them both backwards onto the deck. They looked up to see a huge eight-foot man step through the door. He wore a black woolly hat and vest and had very large muscles in his dark-skinned arms. This was Fritz, Cobblepot's muscleman.
"Fritzi's gonna make you hurt bad," Fritz said, flexing his arms. "Can't say I've ever hit a lady before, but there's always a first time."
Penelope stood up and fixed Fritz with a very hard stare indeed. She took off her jacket and started rolling up the sleeves of her top without taking her eyes off Fritz.
"H'oh boy," Parker chortled. "'E's in for it now!"
Cobblepot had gone down to his office located on the next deck down from the main deck inside The Final Offer. He, Tracey and Candy had locked themselves in to wait for the fighting outside to stop and for the two intruders to be brought down to them either dead or alive.
"How did they know we were 'ere?" Cobblepot asked as he paced furiously up and down the office. "Someone must've talked - given away our itinerary of where we were going to be and when. This was meant to be a simple drop-off and NOW LOOK AT THE MESS WE'RE IN!"
"I say we 'ave to leave," Tracey said. "We've got the speedboat in the next room. They'd never be able to catch us."
"DON'T BE BLOODY STUPID!" roared Cobblepot. "Those weapons have already been bought and paid for by our friends in London. If they don't get what they've paid for they'll want their money back, and seeing as we've spent most of it, that would present a problem, WOULDN'T IT?!"
Tracey fell silent.
"Bah, you worry too much, ladies," Cobblepot said. "Old Fritzi's up there kicking their arses right now. He'll get rid of them for us."
CRASH!
Candy and Tracey screamed as part of the upper wall burst open and a large object landed heavily on the floor. Cobblepot and the two women froze in disbelief.
"Fritzi?!" exclaimed Cobblepot. "But 'ow?!"
Fritz tried to get up, but he just groaned and then passed out.
Then Penelope appeared at the hole in the wall that Fritz had been knocked through closely followed by Parker. "You're finished, Cobblepot," said Penelope. "The Police have been informed and are on their way. Give up now and we'll go easy on you."
"NEVER!" screamed Cobblepot, his face was red with fury. "NO-ONE ARRESTS THE PENGUIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NO-ONE!"
He pointed his umbrella up at Penelope and Parker pulled a trigger on the handle. There was a machine-gun concealed inside it. The umbrella opened up and then bullets began firing out of the tip. This time it was Penelope who pushed Parker out of harm's way as Cobblepot sprayed the walls with bullets.
"GET TO THE BOAT!" Cobblepot shouted.
Tracey and Candy didn't waste a second as they hurried through a concealed door behind Cobblepot's desk. He fired another short round of bullets before going through the door after them.
"Oh blast! 'e's getting h'away!" Parker groaned when they saw that the office was now empty.
"Oh, no, he's not," said Penelope with determination. "We've come too far. Back up to the top deck, Parker. And bring the car around."
Parker pressed a button on his keys which sent a signal to FAB1 which was still parked behind the shipping container. It reversed back out onto the road much to the surprise of some dock workers who'd been taking cover whilst the fighting was going on. They were even more astonished when the car changed into its 'flight-mode' and lifted up off the ground before heading off towards the ship.
Penelope picked up her coat from where she'd left it and hurried over to join Parker at the ship's port side. They were just in time to see a speedboat hurrying past with Cobblepot, Candy and Tracey inside it.
"MARK MY WORDS, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, LADY PENELOPE!" Cobblepot shouted. "I SWEAR ON THE GRAVES OF MY PARENTS. I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOUR FAMILY HAS DONE TO MINE!"
Candy and Tracey both shook their fists angrily at Penelope and Parker as the speedboat raced away from the ship.
Penelope and Parker looked round just as FAB1 emerged from behind the two funnels. It came into a hover just in front of them where they used its wing to gain access to the inside.
"Get after them, Parker," said Penelope once they were inside. "They've got a slight head start on us. Don't switch to 'aqua-mode' until we're out on the river."
"Yus, m'lady," Parker replied.
FAB1 headed off just as the Port Security arrived with the Police. A quick search of the ship revealed its hidden cargo of weapons so at least that was all going to be confiscated and not fall into the wrong hands.
Cobblepot's speedboat had made it through the docks of Tilbury and was now out on the River Thames heading east towards Southend and the North Sea.
"They'll suffer for this, you mark my words, ladies," Cobblepot said to Candy and Tracey as they made their way along. "The Creighton-Ward family destroyed the Cobblepots. Stripped us of all our greatness and power. That is something that must and will be rectified."
"At least they can't follow us now," said Tracey.
But when Candy looked round behind her, she saw something that made her heart leap. "Er, yes, they can!" she cried.
Tracey and Cobblepot turned round to look. There was FAB1 closing in on their position. It then switched to 'aqua-mode' to enable it to run on the surface of the water.
"I DON'T BLOODY BELIEVE IT!" Cobblepot screamed in fury. "WHY CAN'T THEY JUST DIE, ALREADY?! TRACEY, GET RID OF THEM!"
Tracey opened a box behind the rear seats and pulled out a Rocket-Propelled-Grenade launcher which she took out and aimed at FAB1. "ALL RIGHT YOU LOSERS, EAT THIS!" she yelled, firing the RPG at the car. Parker jerked the steering wheel round to the left and it missed FAB1 by a few metres.
"Well that was unexpected," remarked Penelope. "Shall we take a shot?"
"With pleasure, m'lady," said Parker gleefully. He pressed a button on the dashboard which activated FAB1's own missile launcher.
They were now approaching Gravesend. Tracey had just finished fixing another RPG onto the launcher when she saw the missiles located around FAB1's radiator-grill. She dropped the RPG launcher and screamed in fright as two sleek missiles shot out from the pink Rolls-Royce. They shot directly over the top of the speedboat and landed in the water directly in front of it. They submerged a few metres and then detonated right underneath the speedboat. The explosion created a massive column of water which threw the speedboat and its occupants high into the air. As it flipped over they all fell out as none of them had bothered to put on their seatbelts and landed back in the water again with the speedboat landing upside down a few metres away from the Gravesend pier. Its engine then choked, spluttered and then died.
Cobblepot, Candy and Tracey splashed about in the water, coughing and spluttering and trying to grab hold of anything they could find in order to keep themselves afloat. Cobblepot spat some water out of his mouth just as FAB1 pulled up alongside. Penelope opened the gullwing window and leaned out so Cobblepot could see her.
"What's wrong, Oswald?" asked Penelope with a triumphant smile on her face. "I thought penguins liked water?"
Cobblepot didn't reply. He had no energy left.
Penelope closed the window again and FAB1 lifted up off the water returning to 'flight-mode' before turning round and flying off into the sky leaving Cobblepot to be taken in by the Police who arrived in a boat from Gravesend pier soon after.
Cobblepot looked up as Sergeant Dale Smith of the Metropolitan Police came to look down at him from the pier.
"Well, well, well," said Sergeant Smith. "What have we got here then? Oswald Cobblepot, we are arresting you for illegal gun-running, sales and bribery. you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something that you later rely on in court."
"But I'm innocent!" Cobblepot spluttered.
"Yeah? We'll tell that to the judge," said Smith as he turned to his constables. "And your two little accomplices there are also under arrest for helping you." He then turned to his men. "Leon? Roger? Ben? Get him and those birds out of there.
"Yes, Sarge," said PC Leon Taylor. "Lads, let's go!"
Thunderbird Shadow remained visible until the Malaysian coastline came into view. Kayo then reactivated the optical camouflage and it disappeared once more. Silently it flew over the jungle, not disturbing the animals that lived there. Kayo checked the location on her scanner. "We're not far from the clearing," she said.
Together she and Jeff looked out of the cockpit as the clearing came into view. It looked just as it had done when Kayo had found Obsidian and Swan there. But as for the temple itself, there was no sign of it at all. She flew above the treetops and made several loops around the perimeter of the clearing. But there was no sign of it at all.
"This doesn't make sense," Kayo said. "There's no indication that anything is there at all."
"Your father did have some pretty impressive technology at his disposal did he not?" Jeff asked.
"Yes, he did, but-"
"Then my hunch is that the temple is there, but cloaked," said Jeff. "That would be why none of the boys or the GDF saw it when they found you."
"But if they wanted it to remain hidden, why not just keep it concealed?" asked Kayo.
"I don't know, Kayo," said Jeff. "But I think we should land and take a closer look."
"F-A-B."
Kayo brought Thunderbird Shadow down and landed in the middle of the clearing. As they climbed out of the aircraft, they noticed something that they hadn't from above. The northern end of the clearing, where Kayo had seen the temple, seemed a lot darker than their surroundings which were being illuminated by the brightness of the Moon. it looked somewhat hazy as well. Like a desert mirage concealing something.
"Let's go take a closer look," said Jeff.
Cautiously, they made their way closer to the darkness, keeping their helmets on and ready to activate the opaque coverings should the bright light that had knocked Kayo out should appear once again.
Kayo listened carefully. "What do you hear, Mr Tracy?" she asked.
Jeff stopped and listened. "I don't hear anything?"
"Exactly!" said Kayo. "There's no sound. No animal noises. Nothing."
Jeff frowned. "You're right," he said. "One would think there'd be some kind of noise."
They edged closer to the haze at the end of the clearing. Yet as they drew closer, they could both feel like there was something in front of them. It felt like a presence or some kind of barrier.
"Hold it a second," Kayo said, stopping Jeff. She felt her boot was against a stone. She bent down and picked it up before throwing it in the direction of the haze. Suddenly the stone impacted against an invisible barrier which flashed a pink colour before fading away and the stone dropped to the ground again. "There is something there!" Kayo said.
Jeff moved his hand in front of his helmet, activating the heads-up display within it. It didn't reveal any buildings, but he could see a multicoloured haze which was unmistakably some kind of force field that was in their way. "This is why we can't see the temple," he said. He then had an idea. "HELLO?!" he called.
"Shhhhhh!" hissed Kayo in alarm. "What are you doing?"
Jeff brushed her off. "KYRANO?!" There was silence. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, LET US IN!"
More silence followed. Then suddenly the haze faded away and Jeff and Kayo gave small gasps as a huge dark shape now loomed above them. None of its features could be made out, but under the backlight of the Moon, it was unmistakably the temple. This was then followed by a number of flame-lit torches suddenly coming alight, now revealing the temple itself. It stood tall and powerful-looking over them. A huge entrance door then rumbled open underneath a hideous gargoyle-like face. Although it was made of stone, it seemed to be staring at them.
Kayo shivered uneasily, but Jeff seemed to hold his nerve as he walked up the stone steps and through the open door of the temple. Inside they found themselves inside a long passageway with a number of other ancient and equally hideous statues guarding it from the sides. The flame-lit torches only illuminated so much of it but it was enough to allow them to see where they were going.
"Is this what you remember?" Jeff asked.
Kayo nodded. "This all seems uncomfortably familiar," she replied. "And not just from my visions. I have a feeling this was the same place where my Mother sacrificed herself to stop The Hood from taking over the Shadow organisation."
"If it is, then this place has been extensively rebuilt," said Jeff.
Suddenly without any warning at all, six dark figures darted out from the shadows, armed with taser guns and surrounded the duo. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" one of them shouted.
Jeff and Kayo jumped in alarm and then both threw up their hands to show they weren't armed.
"Woah, easy there," Jeff said, trying to calm the situation. "We mean no harm. We've come in peace."
"Who let you in?" demanded one of the Shadows in a distorted female voice behind the mask.
"We did," said another voice. "Stand down!"
The Shadows, Kayo and Jeff looked to see two more shadowy figures walking towards them. One was taller than the other. As they approached, there was something about the way they walked that seemed familiar to both of them. The other Shadows backed away to let them in. Then the taller one removed her helmet so that her face was visible. "Hello, Jeff. Kayo."
Jeff and Kayo couldn't believe their eyes. "Martha?!" exclaimed Jeff.
"Colonel Casey?!" gasped Kayo.
The second Shadow also removed her helmet.
"Rita?!"
"What the blazes are you two doing here?!" Jeff asked. "I thought you'd both been-"
"Kidnapped?" Martha finished his sentence for him.
"Well…yeah!" said Jeff, still stunned. "Your car was found abandoned. There were people who've been looking out for you for months! How…what happened to you both?"
Martha and Rita looked at each other.
"It's a long story, Jeff," said Martha. "Walk with us. We'll tell you."
They began to continue on through the temple with Martha and Jeff leading followed by Kayo and Rita and the six Shadows bringing up the rear.
"Ever since I found out that Noel had joined The Cabal as Techno, I felt so helpless and betrayed," said Martha. "It was starting to affect my work with the GDF. I needed to step away in order to try and do something about it."
"Then we were approached by a woman called Akiko," Rita said.
"Akiko?" repeated Kayo. "But she was one of my father's top undercover operatives."
"And still is."
Kayo blinked. They'd reached a large pair of doors in the central chamber of the temple. More Shadows were positioned around the room, only just visible in the light of the torches. One stood by the door without its mask revealing a Japanese woman who Kayo recognised. "Akiko…?"
"Tanusha," said Akiko.
Kayo then thought back. Then two forgotten memories came back to her. "Wait…you were here last time." She then turned to Martha and Rita. "And so were the two of you!"
The three Shadow-women exchanged looks.
"Seems the serum didn't work as well as you said it would, Akiko," remarked Rita.
"Serum?" repeated Jeff. "What serum?"
An awkward silence fell. Then Kayo suddenly stormed up to Akiko. "Where is he?" she asked.
"Where is who?"
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Kayo shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. "WHERE IS MY FATHER?!"
Silence fell once again. Akiko stared back into Kayo's eyes, unphased by the anger that was showing in them. She then moved to one side and signalled to another of the Shadows. The Shadow pressed a concealed stone button and with a rumble, the large doors began to open inwards.
Inside was a large laboratory which unlike the rest of the temple was better lit with many different desks with equipment and chemicals on them. This looked very familiar to Kayo. but it was what was at the end of the room that her eyes fell upon. A large metal container that was sealed off from the rest of the room. As for the tank of liquid that Kayo had seen Kyrano in before, there was no sign of it.
"Where is he?" Kayo demanded again. "WHERE IS MY-"
A loud hiss cut Kayo off. She turned back around to see that the front of the container was now opening with large plumes of steam being emitted from it. Then a figure began to emerge from within the chamber. A figure who Jeff had not seen in a very long time. "My God…Kyrano!"
Kyrano stood at the top of two short steps outside the container. Like the rest of the Shadows he wore a black armoured suit, only his suit looked a lot more technically advanced that the others. "Jeff…" he said in a low voice. "It's been too long."
Jeff was at a loss for words. Whilst he hadn't doubted what Kayo had been saying, seeing his old friend with his own eyes was taking longer to sink in than he'd thought it would. He was suddenly snapped back to reality when an enraged roar was heard. It was Kayo, lunging at her father with her right fist raised to strike him. But before she could land a punch, Kyrano grabbed her arms and lifted her effortlessly up into the air.
"GET OFF ME!" Kayo shrieked, kicking to be free.
Kyrano did not throw or drop her but instead placed her on her feet facing away from him. "Tanusha," he began. "I-"
"RAAAAAAARGH!" Kayo roared again, trying once again to strike him.
"KAYO, STOP!" bellowed Jeff.
"STAY OUT OF THIS, MR TRACY!" screamed Kayo as she swung again and again at her father who dodged every single swing she made until she accidentally punched the armour of his right arm. "Owwwwwww…" she whimpered in pain.
Kyrano then took her in his arms. She looked up at him, tears of both pain and sadness streaming down her face. He looked at her solemnly. "I'm sorry…" he said. "I'm so sorry, my daughter." He then began to cradle his sobbing offspring whilst Jeff, Martha, Rita, Akiko and the rest of the Shadows watched on from a distance.
It wasn't long before PC Taylor and the other officers had managed to retrieve Cobblepot and the two ladies from the Thames.
"Stop!" cried Cobblepot protested as he was marched towards a waiting Police Van. "You've got the wrong man here! I've got money! I'll give you as much as you want. You can't do this to me! AREN'T YOU BLOODY LISTENING TO ME?! LET ME GO!"
"Save it for the judge, sunshine," said PC Taylor as Cobblepot was placed inside the van and the doors shut in his face.
Tracey and Candy were put into a second van waiting nearby.
"Please, honey, take these bracelets off us," Candy said to some of the other Policemen. "They might damage my little wrists."
"Yeah, this is against our rights!" protested Tracey. "We're not animals, you know!"
"Just be quiet, both of you!" snapped PC Melanie Ryder. "We know what's been going on. You won't be walking out of this." She then slammed the doors in their faces and the two vans set off heading back towards London accompanied by up to twelve cars.
As they travelled along, Tracey and Candy stayed quiet. But Cobblepot was making a racket inside the van he was in. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" he was yelling. "YOU CAN'T BLOODY HOLD OSWALD CHESTERFIELD COBBLEPOT! I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUUUTT!"
All the Police Officers simply ignored him as the convoy of Police vehicles raced along the motorway towards the capital.
FAB1 drove along the motorway a short distance behind the convoy. The Police did not notice them as they were remaining stealthy in case any of Cobblepot's men tried to break out their boss.
"Are you alright, m'lady?" Parker asked after a while.
"I am now, Parker," Penelope replied. "But there's something bothering me."
"What's that, m'lady?"
"What did he mean about my family ruining his?" Penelope asked. "I thought it was just you that he had a grievance with?"
"That I'm afraid I don't know, m'lady," said Parker. "I don't ever recall the Creighton-Wards ever being mentioned by Ozzie h'or 'is father. I was as surprised by that as you are."
Penelope frowned. "Maybe I should ask Mother and Father when I see them," she said.
"With all due respect, m'lady. Do you really think they need to know about it?" asked Parker.
"We weren't the only ones who witnessed the attempted attack on the house, Parker," said Penelope. "I am sure some of the staff did, too. They'll have probably told them if we haven't."
"I guess you're right, m'lady," said Parker. "One should not keep secrets from their parents."
Penelope said nothing. She'd kept her involvement with International Rescue a secret from her parents for some time. As a matter of fact, it was ONLY her parents who knew the secrets. Her late Great Aunt Sylvia had also known, but her Aunts Sophia and Rosamund did not. She secretly hoped that they wouldn't.
Akiko, Rita, Martha and the Shadows waited in the main chamber of the temple outside the doors to the laboratory. Akiko was not in a good mood. "That serum was trialled to perfection," she fumed. "From what we can tell, Professor Kwak has not been able to remember anything from when she was in here. How has Tanusha been able to resist it?"
"Clearly you don't know Kayo like I do," said Martha. "She was just a child when you saw her previously and in my opinion, that's what you still believe her to be. A child!"
"She's grown into more than you could ever imagine, Akiko," added Rita. "Kayo is probably the best undercover operative I've ever known. She always succeeds in her missions."
"Hmph!" scoffed Akiko. "If that's the case, how come we were able to capture her last time? And if she was so smart, why did she fall under the influence of our hypnotic light?"
Martha and Rita found that they had no answer for that.
"See. I thought as much," said Akiko.
Inside the laboratory, Kyrano had been able to calm Kayo down from her outburst and sit her down on a chair. Only they and Jeff remained inside as Kyrano had wanted to talk to them alone.
"But why, Father?" Kayo asked, her eyes red from all the crying. "Why did you make me forget what I'd seen here?"
"You think I wanted to do that to you?" Kyrano asked. "No, I did not. Not a day has passed that I haven't regretted doing that. But I had no alternative. You remember how much of a secret the Shadows were?"
"Well…yeah," Kayo said. "But-"
Jeff cut in. "Kyrano…I entrusted you with some of my greatest secrets," he said. "Have you ever told anyone any of them?"
"Of course not, Jeff," Kyrano answered. "I valued your friendship far too much. Even when I was caught by my own brother, he tried so hard to learn your secrets from me. He failed. I managed to escape."
"With the help of The Mechanic," said Jeff. "He told us what he did to you."
Kyrano nodded. "Juan is a man who fell in with the wrong people," he said. "I told him when he helped me escape that he needed to come with me. He chose to hold The Hood off." His face fell. "And look where it got him."
All were silent for a moment. Then Jeff spoke again. "Why reinstate the Shadows, Kyrano?"
"The same reason as it existed before, Jeff," said Kyrano. "To keep the world safe from people like my brother. We don't directly confront the enemies of the world. Instead we hide in the shadows and make their lives as difficult as possible. Trying to find The Cabal was always a challenge. Only once did I succeed in disrupting one of their schemes. In doing so I was able to save your son Gordon and Lady Penelope."
Jeff and Kayo exchanged a look. "Their mission in the Mediterranean to recover something from a sunken spyship!" said Jeff. "That was you?"
Kyrano nodded again. "Yes," he said. "Eventually we learned that The Cabal had broken up and one of my operatives managed to trace my brother and the Swan to Rio. I went there myself and managed to capture him. We didn't locate Swan though."
"That explains why she went on a rampage through the city trying to find him," said Kayo.
"Indeed," said Kyrano. "I had him locked in a cell inside the temple where I subjected him to a mild mental torture."
Jeff's eyes narrowed. "You tortured him?!"
"Not physically," said Kyrano hastily. "To do that would make me no better than he is. All I did was show him my face. Like the two of you, he was in the firm belief that I was probably long dead. The last time we had laid eyes on each other was when I was his prisoner. Now the tables were turned. He couldn't stand it. As soon as he realised who I was, he went crazy."
"That would explain why he was so scared when he first arrived on the island," said Jeff. "In all the encounters I've had with The Hood, I have never seen him show fear. And trust me, it was genuine."
"But how did he escape from here?" asked Kayo. "It was enough of a task for us to find the temple again."
"Unfortunately, three of my people turned out to be traitors," said Kyrano. "They had been supporters of The Hood many years ago. When your mother sacrificed herself and destroyed the original temple, they barely survived. When recruiting for people again, I found them. The Hood had abandoned them as they had failed him in his eyes. They begged me for forgiveness and I offered them a second chance. But once my brother was here, they figured they could help him escape. Broke him out of his cell and got him to one of our jets. However he chose to leave them behind."
"What became of them?" asked Jeff.
"They're the ones down in the cells," said Kyrano. "Until I decide what to do with them. I can't just send them to a regular prison, not with the knowledge they have."
"In other words, their fates are sealed," said Kayo darkly.
"Yes…they are," said Kyrano.
Silence fell again once more. Once more it was Jeff who broke it. "Kyrano, my friend. You don't have to do this anymore. The Hood's in our custody until the GDF can take him and-"
"You'd best give him back to us," interrupted Kyrano.
"What for?"
"Jeff, come on! Since when has the GDF been able to successfully hold him for any great length of time?" Kyrano asked. "One way or another, he escapes and carries on with his schemes of making the world suffer. If he comes back here, he'll no longer be able to endanger anyone."
"I…get where you're coming from, Kyrano," said Jeff. "And if I'm honest, I think that would be the best course of action. However, I have already informed Colonel Jennings that we have The Hood and she is going to arrange for him to be taken away."
"That is not a good idea," insisted Kyrano. "They're incompetent fools and can never keep him in their custody."
"Does that include the one who now works for you?" asked Kayo sharply, referring to Martha.
Kyrano fell silent.
"I thought as much," said Kayo. "Not all of them are incompetent, Father. I too agree with Mr Tracy that for you to be the one to keep The Hood imprisoned would likely be the best. But Uncle has committed many crimes, for which he must be held accountable for. The world government is likely to want to put him on trial for everything he's done. If we keep him here, as far as they'll be concerned, he'll still be at large and will waste resources trying to find him."
"I mean you could take him back after the trial is over and he's received his sentence," said Jeff. "But to do that would blow your cover, wouldn't it?"
Kyrano remained silent. He turned away and walked up and down for about a minute whilst he took their words in. "You're right," he said at last. "Maybe I ought to just step back and let what shall happen happen. But I must warn you, Jeff, if the GDF does fail to contain him, I will not rest until I find him again, and this time, I won't be letting him go free."
"And I would fully support that," said Jeff. "I just wish we could remain in touch. But your work needs you to not be known about."
Kayo turned away. She'd been without her father for so many years like the brothers had been. The thought of having to leave him again was something she was struggling with.
Kyrano noticed this and had a thought. "I was wrong," he said. "I should have trusted Kayo with my secret. I ought to trust you both with it." He walked over to one of the equipment cupboards and took out two tiny black objects. They looked to Kayo and Jeff like pagers. "Keep my continued existence a secret for now as best you can. But if you ever need me, press the button, and I won't hesitate to come and assist you."
Kayo and Jeff each took one of the devices. But Kayo's lip began to tremble. "But, Dad…I don't want to leave you again. Please come back with us." She was on the verge of tears again.
Kyrano took his daughter in his arms. "I'd give anything to do that, Tanusha," he said sadly. "I'd give absolutely anything to be a proper human again. But I'm a freak now. A mechanical monster. One that the world cannot know about. I'm sorry. But there's one thing that hasn't changed."
"What's that?" asked Kayo.
Kyrano drew breath before answering. "I've never stopped loving you," he finished.
Kayo couldn't take any more. She began to sob again and buried her face in Kyrano's chest whilst he wrapped his arms around her.
Jeff remained respectably silent.
Kyrano stood at the entrance to the temple along with Akiko, Martha and Rita. They watched as Kayo and Jeff climbed back into Thunderbird Shadow and then took off to head home.
"I hope the serum works this time," said Akiko.
"I never gave it to them," said Kyrano.
"You didn't?" said Martha.
"No," said Kyrano. "Tanusha is my daughter. Jeff is my best friend. What kind of a father and best friend would I be if I forced that upon them?" He turned to head back inside.
Whilst Martha and Rita supported Kyrano's decision, Akiko did not. "Sir! You can't seriously be letting them leave knowing about us?"
"They've promised to keep our secret, Akiko," said Kyrano.
"But-"
"But WHAT?!" Kyrano spun back around forcing Akiko to stop in her tracks. "But what, Akiko?"
Akiko tried to answer, but found that she couldn't.
"I thought as much," said Kyrano. "I trust them. Don't give me a reason not to trust you!" With that he turned and walked away, leaving Akiko silent and unhappy.
The flight back towards Tracy Island was a silent and uncomfortable one. Both Kayo and Jeff had a lot on their minds. For Jeff, he was still somewhat trying to process seeing an old friend after so long. But for Kayo, she was deeply upset at having had to leave him behind, although she tried to find comfort in knowing that she knew he was still alive.
"Damn."
Kayo jumped in surprise. "Wh-What?!" she asked.
"Look ahead," said Jeff. "What do you see?"
Kayo looked ahead. In the distance, the night sky was starting to get lighter. This meant only one thing. Dawn was approaching.
"The Sun's gonna be rising soon," said Kayo.
"Indeed," said Jeff. "And I've just remembered I left Virgil a note."
"Virgil?"
"Yes, it was his turn to do the night turn after me," said Jeff. "I just hope we can get back before any of the others have woken up."
"So do I, Mr Tracy," agreed Kayo. "Especially if Scott decided to rise early."
Unfortunately for Jeff and Kayo, their concerns would come true. As the Sun began to rise over the Pacific and onto Tracy Island, Virgil found himself having to show a very high-rate Scott the note that Jeff had left him.
"Gone?!" said Scott angrily. "Gone the hell where?"
"I don't know, Scott," answered Virgil. "I found that note when I came to take over from Dad."
"You mean they had already gone?!" asked Scott. "When did they go?"
Virgil sighed. "Scott…I don't know, okay?" he said, trying not to get too irritated. "Whatever they're doing, I'm sure they've got their reasons."
Scott couldn't seem to accept that. He reached over and pushed a button on Jeff's desk. "Thunderbird 5, come in."
"Scott, John's probably asleep!" hissed Virgil. "Don't disturb him!"
Before Scott could reply, John's hologram appeared. He was looking very tired after having been woken up. "Uhhhhhhh," he yawned. "What's up, Scott?"
"John, Dad and Kayo have left the island without telling anyone!" said Scott. "I need you to find Shadow's location for me."
John blinked and stared at his older brother. "Huh?"
"Dad left me a note," said Virgil. "He said that he and Kayo had something urgent to attend to and they'd be back in the morning."
"Well if it's urgent then what concern is it of ours?" asked John.
Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?!" he exclaimed. "How can neither of you be at all concerned by this?"
"Er, because Dad wouldn't be doing whatever he and Kayo are doing if it wasn't for a good reason?" said John. "If he deems it worth telling us, then I'm sure he will when he comes back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep." And with that, the hologram disappeared, leaving Scott speechless.
Virgil looked at his older brother's face. He tried very hard not to laugh. Then his attention was drawn to something outside the window. "If you're that concerned about them, you won't need to wait much longer to find out what they were up to," he said.
"What are you talking about?" asked Scott.
Virgil pointed in the direction of the window. Scott turned to look and saw a dark shape that was Thunderbird Shadow coming towards the island. He blinked in surprise. "Huh?!"
"See," said Virgil. "You're getting too worked up and paranoid, Scott. Maybe you need to chill out a bit more?"
Scott couldn't find anything to say.
After landing, Jeff and Kayo returned to the house. They both stopped when they saw Scott waiting for them along with Virgil.
"Morning, boys," Jeff began.
"Dad, where the hell have you both been?" Scott demanded. "Why were none of us told you would be going off the island?"
"And since when did I have to tell you my own business, Scott?" Jeff asked.
"Since…Since…" Scott struggled to find his voice. "N-Never mind that. Just tell us where you've been!"
"Maybe a 'please' wouldn't go amiss?" Virgil said just loud enough to make Scott give him a sharp look.
Kayo, not wanting to discuss what had happened, slipped away to go to bed. She was very tired and wanted to sleep off what she'd had to contend with.
Jeff was feeling the same, but he had been expecting this sort of reaction from Scott. "If you must know, Scott. I went to get reacquainted with an old friend," he said. "I cannot say any more on that for now. I need some sleep." He began to head up the stairs to the bedrooms when Scott suddenly appeared at the bottom behind him.
"You went looking for that temple, didn't you?" Scott said.
Jeff stopped and after a moment's pause, turned around to face his eldest son. "Yes, Scott. We did," he said. "Kyrano is alive, and I'm afraid I made him a promise to keep his secrets. Just like how he's kept ours for so many years. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to sleep." He turned back and continued up the stairs, leaving Scott at a loss for words.