Much longer than i intended to get this one edited and published! Thank you for viewing and reading, i hope you enjoy the latest installment!

Chapter 14

Gordon felt overwhelmed. One minute he'd been fearing he'd never see the love of his life or family again, now suddenly it was too much. He was so thankful Tin-Tin was safe, the last twenty-four hours trapped and not knowing what had befallen her had nearly broken him.

Virgil and Scott wouldn't leave him alone. He'd been led to the bathroom, got bathed, dressed wounds, ate something and yet Scott was still banging on about medical care to the point Gordon had yelled at him to pack it in. Cue another intense coughing fit and his new raspy tone. On reflection he felt bad about Scott, but he was desperate to reconnect with Tin-Tin and to support her with what she was going through. In his mind's eye, they were fussing over the wrong person. Everything she thought she knew had just been ripped out from under her in the blink of an eye.

When her uncle had led her into the cell, Gordon had wanted to rip the man to shreds for daring to lay a hand on her. He'd been incandescent with rage; the only other time he experienced anything like it was the night Glenn died. He could have killed her uncle, but the urge to get her out of harms way had saved him on this occasion.

Now they were blissfully alone. He insentiently ghosted her cheek where the angry red welt marred her cheekbone. Thankfully the salve and the cold compress seemed to have reduced the swelling and nothing appeared broken. It was still going to bruise horribly though. His hand fell to his lap once more where he rested against the headboard in one of Penelope's guest suites. Tin-Tin picked up his hand and planted a gentle kiss across the back from where she was seated next to him. She looked drained, her poor eyes red from all the silent crying she'd endured. He sensed she didn't want to talk about it, and neither did he lest it upset her more. He was worried she'd still reject him for the lies, yet he sensed she needed some kind of affirmation to ground her. Clearing his throat he said "I adore you so much I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd been adrift for so long and you were the one to anchor me." He took a shaky breath. "So, when I heard you'd been kidnapped? I was beside myself. I don't ever want to be set adrift again. I can't live without you." He gently skimmed her hand with his thumb.

She smiled warmly at him, sensing the worry that marred his declaration. "Well, I'm not going anywhere Gordon, if I'm the anchor then you're the chain."

He laughed weakly, sending him into a flurry of coughs. "What? to drag you back to me?"

"No - knowing we have that bond makes me feel secure – loved completely. The chain allows me to find my way back to you. No matter how hard that might be." She suddenly choked up. She grabbed for the box of tissues off the bedside cabinet and hid her face.

"Hey, come on. We're safe now. We made it." He squeezed her hand.

"I know. I know its just…A lot to take in." She shrugged helplessly whilst dabbing her eyes with her free hand. The chair scraped across the floor as she scooted closer into the nook of his arm. She didn't want to lie next to him for fear of hurting him. He was black and blue all over. She wrinkled her nose at the strong scents of vanilla and geranium with the sharp medicinal tang of muscle rub. She missed the comfort of his usual subtle scent of faint chlorine and sea air. This new smell was alien to her.

Eventually her hiccups subsided, and she stirred, mortified at the wet patch on the bedding from all her tears. Gordon had slipped into an uneasy sleep, his breaths rattling past his lips. She hoped his breathing would ease soon; it must be really painful. She tentatively brushed his auburn fringe out of his eyes. Sleep softened his features, the grimaces and deep frowns all carried away on the promise of slumber. Her hand started to shake as she withdrew. As she'd grown closer to Gordon, she'd realised he'd had all these walls. She figured they had been borne of frustration at his family ignoring his capabilities. Like not being selected for rescues, left on the island alone again and again. Fears that he was fragile from his spinal injury. She'd done a lot to help him reveal layers of himself, to the point where she felt she knew him completely, yet she didn't know him at all. No one did. She didn't know why that hurt so much.

Was it because the gentle, intelligent, witty soul she'd fallen in love with was so at odds with the lethal man she'd just seen in operation? The speed he'd taken those men down with that knife, the fact it was like muscle memory to him had terrified her. Was it the injustice of what her uncle had done to him? That he'd grieved for his murdered friend in silence, suffered through the paralysis with everyone thinking it was some unfortunate accident when it was in the line of duty. Or was it because she now had to live with these secrets too? That Gordon may have significantly different morals to her?

Raised voices filtered through the door. Scott and Rose's interceded with dulcet tones that could only be Virgil. Tin-Tin scrubbed at her eyes with a soft sigh. This was all too much. She needed some air, and they needed to keep it down before they woke him. She wasn't ready to face Gordon again just yet.

She slipped out the door into the wooden panelled corridor full of aboriginal prints. Penelope's England residence was prim and stately in sharp comparison. The farm benefited from a cosier décor with a seating pit of long modernist sofas and chic shagpile rugs. The high ceilings and panoramic windows prevented the wooden wainscoting from making the central room feel too clustered. Large rifles were mounted next to the circular alcove with the inset fireplace. Another reminder of the violence that seemed to have wormed its way into her life.

"Look, father put me in charge, and I say we should go. He needs backup." Scott scowled at Virgil who shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. He'd got back from a rescue in Asia not that long ago, solo crewed. He was tired.

"Just drop me in and then retreat to a safe distance then the Thunderbirds are safe." Rose inspected the barrel of her gun before clicking it in situ.

"You are not going, no way in hell."

Rose puffed up. "Scott, I didn't nearly die last time for you to reveal your secret again. You're the pilot, you can't go in there without compromising the mission."

Virgil interjected, cutting off Scott mid-breath before he could counter argue with his wife. "Father said we should stay here, and you heard him Scott, he wouldn't want you to endanger yourself or Rose. If you stay here, she can't go, can she?" Virgil reasoned with a wry smile that earned him a scowl from his sister in-law.

"You're not going." Scott bristled.

"Then neither are you, like Virgil said." Rose jabbed her gun in its holster under her arm.

"Could you kindly quarrel somewhere else? Poor Gordon is resting." Tin-Tin interjected.

Scott ran a hand through his hair before resting both his hands on his hips with a sigh while Rose dipped her head.

"Sorry" They both murmured in unison.

"Is there some kind of problem?" Tin-Tin asked wearily. She thought it was over now they were away from her home.

"The imposter dressed as Gordon is likely on his way to the island to try and steal the Thunderbirds. We have it on good authority he's likely to try and use his guise to gain access to the island. Thankfully your warning saved us from the worst of it otherwise the wolf would have really been among the chickens."

"Oh no!" Tin-Tin's hand shot to her mouth, her skin an unhealthy pallor. She sank into a nearby chair with a hitched sob. "He'll get to my father."

"Its ok, father ordered Brains and Kyrano to the vaults." Scott tried to soothe her.

"No, you don't understand. He won't want just the Thunderbirds. He'll want my father too." She still remembered the burning hatred in his eyes when he'd talked about her father with such contempt. Tin-Tin jumped up off the chair once more. "My uncle will kill my father if he finds him. I'm coming with you, maybe I can stop him."

A thump from far side of the room had all their heads turning. Penelope graced the threshold, the late afternoon rays of light surrounding her like a halo. She pushed her sunglasses up on her head, framing her blonde shoulder length bob. The audible thumping was suitcases dropping behind her in the doorway by a harried looking Parker. She strode further into the room, pausing to collect the post off the counter, whilst flicking through the letters and pamphlets she asked. "What have I missed?"

Jeff had stood her down a couple of hours a go and said she should come here to prevent any hair brained notions his children may have about saving him. A tall order no doubt, she reflected to herself silently, especially when she had no intention of heeding his orders herself.

"Nothing much, bar all the arguing and banging loud enough to raise the dead." Grumbled Gordon as he shuffled in from the corridor. His gait was lop-sided and somewhat stiff where he was compensating for his broken rib. He'd managed to scavenge a red Hawaiian shirt and cream shorts which he suspected were Parker's holiday apparel. The Scarlett colour did his sickly complexion no favours, only accentuating the deep purple circles under his eyes. His bare legs and arms were covered in deep gashes and bruises. In truth, the nightmares had got to him first, not the commotion in here but he wouldn't have got back to sleep anyway. The pain he was in was immense and the painkillers already wearing thin. Gordon wrapped a gentle arm around Tin's mid-waist, dropping a kiss on her head.

Gordon made eye contact with Scott. "I can get us on the island if you can get us to Matteo."

"How?"

Penelope pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar to watch the drama unfold, while Parker continued to shift copious amounts of luggage. His strains and grunts were rather uncouth. She shot him a look. "Sorry milady, it's rather 'eavy."

"I have a powerboat kept there for emergencies." Gordon edged onto a nearby stool. Tin-Tin steadied him, he didn't try to stop her.

"Alright and how does that help?" Virgil queried aloud.

"Tracy island has a blind spot that if you sail from Northwest of Matteo you can creep up Dead man's cove and into the back seating area of the villa undetected. Just like if you approach Matteo Island from the southeast you can fly low, and the island shields you from view of Tracy Island." Gordon was using the fruit bowl and shakers to demonstrate on the countertop.

"And then how would you proceed?" Penelope quizzed. She was a firm believer in listening first, then shooting the plan to pieces.

"I suggest a team of four, they need to be able hikers. Then we enter the house through the rear entrance in the kitchen and the bedroom balconies then we can divide and conquer. They are likely to be located in the lounge so we can head towards there. One of us can create a distraction to lure him out. Scott will be on standby in case of emergency evac."

"What about weapons? Ammunition, we've only have Thunderbird One's arsenal." Rose contemplated.

"Don't worry about that, there's plenty at Matteo."

Scott raised a brow, but Gordon just waved him off.

"I still don't think we should take Thunderbird One." Rose looked at Scott uneasily. She knew how much it had cost him to lose her last time and it devastated international rescue operationally for almost eighteen months.

"We could simply take FAB 1. We're close to the island here, we wouldn't lose much time in the grand scheme of things." Penelope suggested.

"Harder to detect her approach." Gordon mused out loud.

"Then you can count me in." Scott rolled on the balls of his feet itching to get gone, he'd resigned himself to the fact that short of knocking his wife out she would be going, and he would be there to protect her and his father.

"We may still need Thunderbird One if things don't go to plan." Gordon interjected. "We need someone in reserve." Both Gordon and Scott's gazes immediately travelled to Virgil who was still quietly assessing the situation. Cue steadfast number two they thought, but they also knew Virgil detested flying Thunderbird One almost as much as Gordon. Scott was still miffed Virgil had described her as flighty and temperamental when he'd asked why Virgil hated flying her so much.

"Fine, I'll stay here. I'll fill John and Alan in on the detail. Run comms through John and I'll be on standby."

Scott clapped him on the back. "Good man."

"Right, me, Rose, Tin, Penny and Parker. Grab your gear and let's roll out."

Gordon bristled, kicking the stool out from under him with a hiss. "You can lead if you want but I'm coming."

"Gordon, you're badly injured." Virgil's voice was full of sympathy.

"No one knows those waters like I do. There's a reason it called dead man's cove and the tide's currently against us. Let me at least steer you in. Then I'll sit with the boat." Like hell he would but he knew Scott would bench him otherwise.

Scott cast an assessing gaze over his brother, the set of his jaw and the way he was holding himself tall despite the obvious suffering. Gordon was on a mission he was going to see through, he knew that feeling all too well. Scott sighed. "Fine. Gear up and meet back here in five. Then we head out."

They reached Matteo Island without a hitch. Gordon was relieved to be out in the fresh air. He hadn't felt free since he'd left that dank cell and being in the car with five of them after his recent experiences had left him feeling somewhat claustrophobic. He was gutted he's had to leave his trusty tactical backpack in Malaysia but thankfully he kept a second concealed here.

He had dosed up as high as he could on the painkillers before they left. Traversing the rocky banks to the boathouse left him relatively unscathed as a result. He eased his way down the landscape, unable to look back and check on his family's progress due to his injuries. He'd just have to trust they were managing. The roar of the waves prevented any hope of him hearing them either. It was early evening now, the sun low in the sky, casting shadows over the rocky outcrops. Razor sharp grass scraped against the calluses on his hands that hung loosely at his side.

He let out a small sigh of relief as he came upon the entrance to the boathouse, it appeared just how he had left it. To the untrained eye it looked like a natural cave entrance sculpted from the eroding cliff face, but it was actually all man made, carefully crafted to blend in to be undetectable to drones and other aircraft. His father had initially intended keeping Thunderbird four here until he decided she would remain in Thunderbird two's hangar.

Gordon quickly rooted around in the soil, His fingers scraping over a small rock the size of his palm. He lifted it to reveal a black and silver keypad. He typed in the code, a short buzz and the cliff face parted to reveal a door big enough for an adult to fit through. Audible gasps behind him from the girls had him turning to smile at them.

"Very James Bond, I know. This was going to be Thunderbird Four's hangar before dad got his way." He stood back and indicated they should all move inside. He scanned the air and the surrounding areas as they did so. Scott brought up the rear of the party. Once he had passed Gordon slipped through, shutting the door with a resounding click.

He turned round to catch his brother's low whistle of appreciation.

Rose turned back to face Gordon; her face flushed with excitement. "This is very Jason Bourne. May I?" She pointed to the wall where his weapons collection hung up.

"Knock yourself out."

"Thank you!"

Whilst Penelope and Rose started trading weapons talk with an enthused Parker and an exasperated Scott trying to rein in his wife from impending danger, Tin-Tin sidled over to Gordon and whispered, "Does your father know about this?"

"Does he know I'm a weapons expert? Yes. My collection? No. The first thing I thought when dad said we were moving here was that it was a pirate's paradise. Remote, no jurisdiction, south pacific is perfect place for them to operate. I actually convinced dad to move TB4 back to the island for that reason, along with the rest of the fleet. Knowing this would be left as nothing more than a substation for Tracy Island, I began to install my own security. I wanted to be prepared for any type of security breach. To protect everyone."

"Is there anything else I should know?" She added faintly, her eyes roaming over the sleek black powerboat, flak jackets, knifes, knuckle dusters and guns.

He took her hand with a gentle squeeze. "You should know, I never willingly wanted to keep this from you. It's ingrained in me. I was trained this way. To assess worse case scenarios and anticipate threats. I need you to know you can still trust me, trust my love for you will never change."

"It's a lot to take in." She sighed. "let's go and get our fathers. Once they are safe, I can start to fathom out all this." She gestured weakly around her. He nodded before releasing her hand, sadness lurking in his gaze as he turned away.

He walked over to the wall and benches, bending into a cupboard and pulling out his spare tactical bag with a rope, torch, trauma kit, knife, thermals and other essential items. He then plucked his favourite WASP issued Handgun off the wall before grabbing spare clothing and heading to the shower room. He emerged a short time later wearing khaki combats, his old issued boots and a black gortex long sleeved shirt with a black cap to cover his sandy hair. He caught Tin-Tin's gaze as he walked towards the group, looking at him like he was a stranger. He could see the confusion in her eyes like she was trying to merge this version of him with the man she loved. He really hoped this wouldn't drive a wedge in their relationship. They'd already resisted and fought for their love for so long. Well, if he had to do it again he would.

He cleared his thoughts, clapping to grab everyone's attention. "Right. Everyone know their role, where they should be?"

They nodded. He wheezed before continuing. "Scott, any news?"

"Negative. John and Alan haven't been able to contact father or anyone on the island since this afternoon. Full radio silence."

"The, let's head out, conditions as they are we should hit land in twenty to twenty-five minutes. We need to scale up the bank as fast as possible to avoid detection. We go in fast and hard, hopefully catching the assailant off guard. Use the gas, if we get dad, Kryano or Brains by accident it's only a tranquiliser. The priority is to diffuse the situation immediately, do not give him a chance to get a foothold."

"F.A.B" Penelope and Scott replied, the others repeated the code shortly after.

As they crashed over the waves, the sea spray whipping his hair back, his heart pounded loud enough to thump in his ears over the roar of the ocean. He adjusted his wet grip on the wheel, the perspiration causing his hand to slip. Twice now he'd met his match in this man, was this to be the third? A sharp pain in his chest at the memory of Glen's death had him in a panic. Was he leading those he loved to their deaths once more? if someone else died on his watch it would kill him. He simply could not, would not let it happen again. What ever the cost, it wouldn't be his family and friends paying the price. Not this time.