Archive of Our Own

Day 4 non-human whumper, Day 9 flashbacks, Day 10 secrets, Day 11 laceration, Day 13 never enough, Day 18 environmental whump, Day 19 on patrol, Day 29 broken dishes, Day 30 mirror, Day 31 rescued by enemy, Alternate Prompt concussion, Alternate Prompt zip tie

–

Gordon received a notification that he had a new message in a seldom used inbox.  He quickly shut his laptop and left the room, to the confusion of everyone.  Alan thought it was strange, but Gordon had run off so quickly, that he didn’t have the opportunity to question it.

Once he was sure that he was really alone, Gordon opened the message on his tablet.  It wasn’t connected to their home network, so no one should be able to ‘accidentally’ spy on him.  Only a few people ever contacted him that way, and did so only when other forms of communication were too open or dangerous.  That meant that it was all stopping important.  

“Damn…just how is this even possible?”  It was a message from Aphony.  He looked at the attached photos before reading the actual message.  The Pacifican King had quietly contacted Gordon and Troy.  No one needed rescuing or protection…yet…but a reef near Pacifica appeared to be badly diseased and dying.  Gordon’s and Marina’s unique expertise were needed, but for some unknown reason, Aphony chose to do this through private channels.  Gordon scanned through the data and pictures again.  It was hard to believe that the pictures were real.  

The reef was obviously very sick.  It should be full of colors and fish and life.  But, any color that remained was muted, the rest was grey or brown.  Gordon thought about all of the possible causes and the worse case scenarios.  He could help build a new reef, but that would take a long time to grow and heal the area.  In the meantime, whatever was causing the damage could be spreading.  It would be preferable to treat the reef, allowing it to heal naturally.  

He then went on to think about how he’d pull this off.  Obviously, Aphony was trying to keep things quiet…unofficial.  When was the last time I did any patrols or research out there?  He thought to himself.  His father was generally okay if he wanted to go out to do some underwater research.  It let Jeff feel good that he could be productive without being on any big rescues.  While Jeff may not ever say it out loud, he obviously tried to exclude Gordon for the bigger callouts.  It had been long enough since he’d done anything out in that area.  He could easily say that he wanted to go out there as a marine biologist to do some research and checks on the reef.

As he predicted, his father didn’t question it much.  If he was actually needed for a callout, he could surface and be retrieved easily by Thunderbird 2.

That evening, he sent off a quick reply to Aphony.  He’d be able to set off in the morning, and it wouldn’t take long for him to travel out there.  He packed enough food and clothing for about a week and kept his story pretty straightforward with his brothers.  This was just a research trip to check on a reef that he hadn’t seen in a while.  Nothing more/nothing less.  Alan gave him a look, but Gordon just waved him off.

“It’s just some research Alan.  You’re acting like you and John never do any of your own, or that I’ve never done this kind of thing before.  I’m a marine biologist.  It’s what I do.”  Alan decided to stop questioning it.  He knew that Gordon was hiding something, but he had no proof, so he let it go.

Aphony thanked him for his assistance.  The reef provided needed protection and food for the area.  He didn’t want official channels yet, lest King Titan find out and take advantage of them at a time of weakness.  That’s why he kept things under wraps.  If Gordon and/or Marina thought that other intervention was needed, then they’d cross that bridge at that time.  

–

The next morning, Gordon set off in Thunderbird 4.  Aphony had sent a few more messages throughout the night, and Troy had confirmed that Stingray’s patrols would bring them out that way too.  Gordon sent a quick message to let them know that he would arrive a few hours ahead of Stingray.

He gasped as he arrived in the area.  It wasn’t just the reef, even the sea floor vegetation was dead.  There were a few fish, but they weren’t moving fast or well.  Gordon donned his drysuit and opened the airlock to take a look around.

One of the fish swam into his hand, so he examined it.  He didn’t need his scanners to tell him that the fish was riddled with disease, with its cloudy eyes and odd bumps on its scales.  After he got his scans, he let it float away into the reef.  

The reef seemed to have gotten much worse since those first messages he received the night before.  It was effectively dead, and Gordon couldn’t think of a single way to save it.  He’d have to dig up this one and build a whole new reef from scratch.  Hopefully digging it all up would stop the disease from spreading any further.  He was going to take scans of the area around the reef to see if the disease had spread to the sea floor, and if it had, how far had it spread.  When he turned around to return to Thunderbird 4, he was met by a wall.  Gordon remembered nothing after that.

–

As Stingray approached the reef, they tried to reach out to Gordon. 

“Thunderbird 4, come in.”  Phones tried again.  “Nothing skipper.  His craft is receiving us, but no answer.  Scans don’t show any issues with his communications array.”  He was confused.  There was no reason not to answer their hails, as Gordon was expecting their arrival around this time.  

“Maybe he’s inside the reef.  I know him.  He needs to see things with his own eyes and feel them with his own hands.  Scanners are great, but they are not enough for Gordon Tracy.  It’s one of the things that makes him very good at what he does, Phones.”  Troy turned to Marina.  “Any sight of him inside of the reef?”  She shook her head and pointed to something on the sea floor, next to Thunderbird 4.

“I see something too, Skipper.”

“I see it.  Marina, can you retrieve it please?”  She was out of the airlock before he could even finish that sentence.  Marina recognized the item as soon as she picked it up.

“What is it?”  Troy asked her.

“Scanner.”  She signed back.  “Gordon’s.”  She pointed at the International Rescue insignia on it.

“Skipper, this was supposed to be a routine patrol.”  Troy groaned and pinched his nose.  He knew that they should have said something to Commander Shore before they left, but Aphony had asked them to keep it quiet.  There was no way they’d be able to keep things under wraps now.  He had to think hard and fast.

“Set a course for Pacifica.  We need to talk to Aphony.”  Troy doubted that Aphony knew anything, but he had to try, before calling back to Marineville to report that they had found Thunderbird 4 abandoned.

As he thought, Aphony was unaware of Gordon’s whereabouts.  He hadn’t expected to hear anything from him yet, so he wasn’t concerned by the radio silence.  It was supposed to be too early to worry about anything.  The crew returned to Stingray to make the call to Marineville. 

“Stingray to Marineville.”

“Go ahead Troy.”  Atlanta answered.

“While on routine patrols near Pacifica, we discovered a nearby reef nearly dead.  Thunderbird 4 was already there and appears to have been abandoned.  We don’t know why she’s here or where her pilot is.  All we found was a dropped scanner near her airlock.”  He had kept Aphony’s secret safe for now, and Commander Shore could easily believe it.

“Okay, try to find Gordon and look at the reef.  I’ll make a call to see why he was out there.  Chances are he was on a routine research mission.  I’m unaware of any emergency calls in that area.”

“PWOR.”

–

Gordon’s head felt funny, and his hands were zip tied behind him.  It was an awkward position and left his back screaming at him.  He tried to move his arms a little, but he was bound too tightly by the restraints.  He tried his best to stretch his back and adjust his position, but he only succeeded in making his pain worse.  The worsening pain in his back made his headache and dizziness worse too.  Shit.  

He tried to use his senses to try to figure out where he was being held.  He still had his drysuit on but figured that his captors had emptied his pockets of everything, not that he could reach the zippers anyway.  It was musty, and he could smell saltwater.  He could feel the high humidity in the air.  When he tried to open his eyes again, he was met by more bright lights, but no natural sunlight.  The light was so painful that it made him nauseous, so he closed his eyes quickly. 

Once his stomach had calmed, he focused on the sounds around him and catalogued them.  He could hear metal doors open and close.  Cells.  Soft footsteps.  2 guards.  One’s dragging his feet.  Another cell door opened, closer to him than the last one.  No keys?  He doubted that it meant no locks, but it was possible.  Maybe they don’t expect escapees to last very long here?  The footsteps got closer.

“This one?  How do you not know your prisoners?”  Said an impatient man, from the other side of the door.  Gordon's ears perked up; he knew that voice, but he struggled to remember why.  He heard the guard simply grunt in response to the quip.  

“Look…”  The guard grunted.  Gordon opened his eyes a little, but he did not lift his head.  He got enough of a glimpse of the impatient man and suddenly remembered why he knew that voice.  The Hood.  “So this is one of the mighty Jeff Tracy’s spawn.  You say that found this one outside of Thunderbird 4?”

“Yes.”

“And you just left his craft sitting there?  He’s hardly valuable without it.”  The guard grunted again.  Limited vocabulary, maybe?  “I’m sure your master won’t mind if I take this off of your hands.”  Gordon didn’t want to leave with the Hood, but an escape from this place was an escape, even if that meant that he’d have to escape from wherever he was brought next.

Gordon watched as they left the room, leaving him alone again with nothing but his own thoughts.  He focused on his senses.  He was pretty sure that he was still underwater, and that the guard was an Aquaphibian.  He just couldn’t figure why the Hood would be there, and it made no sense to his throbbing head.  A while later, the door opened again.

“Well Mr. Tracy.  It’s your lucky day.  You get to leave this place and come with me.  I wonder, does dear old Daddy know you’re here?”  Gordon scoffed.  If the Hood thought that he could get under his skin…  “Tsk, tsk.  Is that any way to treat your rescuer?  They thought you were one of Commander Shore’s people.”  The Hood turned back to the door to address the guards.  “Take him to my ship and be careful.  I don’t want him broken.”

The Aquaphibian guards grabbed him roughly.  Gordon wanted to stand and fight them, but he had no strength left in his body.  He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, but in the time he was, he was never given any food nor water.  As they hoisted him to his feet, his head swirled.

Once inside of the Hood’s ship, he made a great show of buckling him in safely.  Gordon was surprised when he felt a straw put to his lips.  He refused to open them for him.  

“It’s only water.  Think what you want, but I’m not completely heartless…besides I need you alive.”  Gordon managed a few sips, before his stomach retched.  “You appear to have a concussion.”

“I’m aware.”  Gordon growled.

“Temper, temper now.”  The Hood left his side to pilot the small ship out of there.  Gordon tried to see out of the portholes, but the concussion made it impossible.  He had to try and conserve what little energy he had.  Everything else was beyond his control at that moment.

–

“Time to wake up, on your feet now.”  When Gordon didn’t make any effort to move, the Hood’s eyes glowed yellow.  The pain and nausea no longer mattered to his brain, as his body stood up on its own.  “Let’s go.  You need food and a bath, and I suspect that they roughed you up, even though I told them to be careful with you.”

Gordon hated this.  He couldn’t control his own body.  Instead, it kept betraying him, listening to every order given, except his own.  

After a cold shower and some food, the Hood’s eyes were back to their normal color.  He was given some medicine for his head and stomach and left alone, in his cell, to sleep, but Gordon refused to take the pills.  He couldn’t trust them and was very tired of being controlled.  When the Hood came to check on him later, he found the pills thrown across the room and Gordon sleeping restlessly.

The next morning, the Hood greeted him as he awoke.  His head was marginally better, but his stomach was still pretty sour.

“So tell me Gordon, how does a former WASP let himself get kidnapped like that?”  Gordon didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer.  “After some research into your past, I expected something a bit different.  You have your father’s temper I see, but where is this ex-military/olympic champion?”

“I am not only defined by my past Hood.”  He answered curtly.  

“Let me guess.  Daddy keeps you mostly hidden away…afraid that you’ll break again?”

“I do not presume to know what he thinks.”  The Hood could use this to his advantage.  His original plan just included an exchange…but bringing Gordon over to his side was so much more tempting.

“Oh, but you do.  You’re not like your brothers, but you still wanted dear old Daddy to be proud.  Tell me Gordon, how has that worked out for you?  Did he even see you win that medal?  Was he there for your graduations?”  He knew the answers to those questions already, he just needed Gordon to admit it.  “You even joined his precious International Rescue, yet you spend most of the rescues stuck at home.  All that money to make those machines, and he can’t shell out a few extra dollars to make sure you’re back is kept safe.  He’d rather just keep you in bubble wrap at home.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work.  My dad’s not perfect, never said he was, but you’re not going to turn me against him.  Nice try though.”  The Hood pushed the tray closer to him.  Gordon was proving to be a tough nut to crack.  

“Eat.  It’s not poisoned.  Contrary to popular belief, I don’t want to harm you, but it’s very obvious that you’re suffering and in pain.”  Gordon stared at the floor, away from him.  He wasn’t that stupid.  

–

“Hey Jeff.”  Jeff had been surprised by the call from his old friend, but when he looked up at the screen, he was met with a serious look.  A bad feeling washed over him.  

“Sam, to what do I owe the pleasure?”  He watched Sam take a deep breath.  It reminded Jeff too much of calling families to inform them of someone’s death.  Unfortunately, he had been on both sides of those calls before.  “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Was Gordon out on any research missions or perhaps a rescue mission in the Pacific recently?”

“Research actually.  Something about a reef that hadn’t been checked in a long time.  Why?”  Jeff was quickly realizing that something had happened to Gordon.  “He left earlier this morning in Thunderbird 4, and should be out there for about a week.”  He watched his old friend take a deep breath before speaking again.  

“While out on routine patrols, Stingray found Thunderbird 4 abandoned and a scanner, with the International Rescue insignia, dropped on the ocean floor.  Gordon was nowhere to be found.  I’m going to have her towed here for you, and we’ll look for any clues.”

Jeff had to sit down.  This wasn’t a military mission, and he hadn’t been shot down, so why did he feel the same way he felt as he did when Scott’s superiors called him?

“Jeff, talk to me buddy.  We’re going to find him.”  Jeff squared his shoulders and sat up properly, making himself look stronger than he really felt.

“I know you will Sam, but I also know that you’re limited, since he’s no longer a WASP, and he’s not out there on any military missions.”

“That’s neither here nor there.  As far as my superiors are concerned, we’re out there anyway on routine patrols.  International Rescue, and my friend, need our help.  So, we will help as much as we can.  Simple as that.”

“Thanks Sam.  We’ll do what we can from our side too.”  Sam ended the call shortly thereafter, and Jeff went off in search of Kyrano.

Once he found Kyrano, they called Parker together, and Jeff filled the two men in on the situation.  He had no real information as of yet, but they had been instrumental in finding Scott all those years ago.

“We’ll start out at the reef Jeff.  We’ll bring him home.”  They assured him.  Kyrano left the room quickly and was off the island 5 minutes later.

–

After a few short hours, the pain and thirst overwhelmed Gordon.  He needed relief, even if it was just enough to let him sleep.  He tried his stretches, but unfortunately, he had barely any range of motion due to the pain.  

“The food is safe to eat too.  You could be so much more you know…so much more than someone who just stands in everyone else’s shadows.”  Gordon refused to make eye contact.  He knew this game far too well.  Every time someone wanted him to do something, instead of what he was doing, they’d bring up him being trapped in his father’s shadow.  

“Why can’t any of you be original, huh?  Of all the things you could do, that’s always the go-to.”  The Hood cocked his head.  Gordon would be hard to break, but the rewards would be that much sweeter.

“Eat, unless you want that nausea to keep coming back.  You’re no use to anyone, especially yourself, if you’re dead or too sick to move.”  He pointed to the bowl of soup and toast sitting next to the bed.

The Hood retreated and watched over him from the shadows.  He smiled as Gordon gave in and sipped the soup.  It wasn’t drugged, that much was true.  No, that wasn’t how he’d win over Jeff Tracy’s son.  He may need to use his eye at times, but Gordon would stay with him willingly.

–

Jeff called his boys down to the lounge.  He had to tell them about Gordon and send Virgil to retrieve Thunderbird 4.

“We’re here Father.”  Scott announced.

“Yes boys.  John, can you hear us?”

“Yes Father.  I’m here.”  Jeff steadied himself.  It would be best to just rip off the bandaid.

“Gordon’s missing.  Thunderbird 4 was found abandoned, at the reef he was checking, by Stingray, while she was out on routine patrols.  She’s been towed to Marineville, and Commander Shore confirmed that he was not inside, nor is there any evidence of foul play.  The only thing they found was his scanner on the ocean floor, near his airlock.”  Jeff kept his voice steady, devoid of emotion.  This was how he would remain strong for his boys.  

“Why are we just sitting here?”  Scott stood up fast.

“Scott, sit.”  Jeff snapped the order.  “There’s nothing we can do right now.  All that can be done is either done or being done as we speak.  I need all four of you to focus on keeping your heads where they belong.”  Jeff left the room, leaving the four shocked boys alone with their thoughts.  Alan was the first to speak up.

“I knew he was pretty apathetic when it came to anything regarding Gordon, but what the hell Scott?”  He gestured, now very angry.  

“I don’t know Sprout.  I really don’t know.  That can’t be the entire story…there must be more to it.  John?”

“Already on it Scott.  I’ll let you know the minute I find something.”  They could see him hard at work on his computers, already looking for any clue he could find.  

Jeff told Virgil to head to Marineville, after dinner, to recover Thunderbird 4.  Scott had wanted to go with him, but Jeff refused.  All he could do was watch as Thunderbird 2 take off without him or Alan.  Jeff hadn’t even bothered to explain his refusal or watch Virgil launch.  While Jeff thought that this was him being strong, his sons only saw it as something callous.  

“He’ll never be enough, will he?”  Alan whispered.  “Everything he’s done…his accomplishments, his survival…and Dad just doesn’t seem to care that he’s gone.  Seems more worried about Thunderbird 4.”  Alan seriously considered storming Jeff’s office.

“He cares…he has to care.  There’s more to this than he’s sharing.  Otherwise, he would have reported him missing already.”  Scott refused to believe that their father could be so heartless.

“It’s his MO Scott.  Think about it.  He didn’t even show up for his Olympic games, not even after we told him that Gordon had won gold and set a new record.  He could have easily flown in, but he outright refused.  Even you were there Scott!  And, you needed special permission from your base commander.”  Alan continued.  

“Dad cares, Alan.  I know he does, and Gordon will come back to us.”  Alan just shook his head.  Actions spoke louder than words, and Jeff’s actions were speaking plenty to Alan.  It didn’t take very long for Virgil to arrive at the WASP base.  

“Base from Thunderbird 2, on final approach to Marineville.”

“Understood Virgil. They’ll direct you.  Thunderbird 4 should be near the shoreline.”  Jeff was distracted by a message on his watch.  Scott couldn’t see it, but it immediately took all of his attention.  He hadn’t even heard Virgil ask him a question.  

“Father?  Virgil asked if you wanted him to return straight away.”

“Huh?  Oh yes.  Bring Thunderbird 4 back to the island.”  Jeff got up from his desk and left the room, all of his attention focused on the messages he was receiving.  Scott called up to John.

“Anything yet?”

“No ransom requests or anything like that either.  I’m sorry Scott.  As soon as I know something, I’ll call you.”  

–

Gordon felt a little more human when he woke next.  He still had no clue how much time had passed, but at least he was on the mend.  He took in the room around him.  It was ornate, and it reminded him of Kyrano’s and TinTin’s part of the house.

He walked around slowly to explore the room, because his legs still felt like jello.  There were no windows that he could see, nor could he find any doors.

“The bathroom is just behind that wall.”  The Hood pointed to an area across from the bed.  “If that’s what you’re looking for.”  Gordon shot him a defiant look.  “My sources tell me that your Thunderbird has been recovered.  Your father did not come to see for himself, just sent 1 of your brothers to retrieve her.  The muscle one, I think.”

“Virgil, and why would he go along for the ride?  What is he going to do?  He can’t pilot 2 or 4.  Besides, Virgil’s more than capable of loading my bird into her pod.”  The Hood just shrugged, seeing straight through the young man’s facade.  It didn’t matter if Jeff could or could not do anything.  He’s Gordon’s father and should have been there.

“Feel free to freshen up.  Food will be ready shortly.”  Gordon found the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror.  The doubt threatened to take over.  Maybe the Hood was right…maybe his father didn’t care…he didn’t even send Scott, just Virgil…alone.  Sadly this sounded like something Jeff would totally do.  As the thoughts swirled around in his head, he heard a crash and saw the broken mirror all over the sink and floor.  His right hand had multiple, small lacerations.  

The Hood walked in quietly and started to tend to his wounds.  He wanted to smile, but he had to keep his face carefully neutral.  Gordon had believed him so easily.  It was the truth, but Gordon had no real way to know that, yet he knew that it was all true.  

“I’ll get that replaced, unless you don’t want it.”  Gordon shrugged.  He really didn’t care.  This was his cell after all, and he was a prisoner.  “Come eat son.  I have our meal set up in the main dining area.”  Gordon followed him and learned where the door to his room was hidden.  The hallway and dining room were just as ornate as his cell.  The Hood had kept the meal light for him.

“Gordon,” the Hood said, interrupting his thoughts.  “What do you suppose happened to that reef?”

“Disease.  It happens.  I didn’t have much time to look though.  The whole thing will need to be dug up and a new one laid to replace it.”  He didn’t know why the Hood cared, but it seemed safe enough to talk about.  “Think of it like a cancer.  To stop the spread, you must cut it out.”

“Interesting.  And, this reef…it’s important?”  To win him over, he had to speak Gordon’s language, get him comfortable talking to him.

“They all are.  Not only do they provide homes and protection to fish and plant life, they help protect the coastlines from erosion and storms.  They help keep the water and air clean too.”

“So without them, the coasts are at risk?  Much like when you take down too many trees, mudslides and erosion become bigger issues?”  The Hood said, comparing it to something he understood much better.  

“Yes, so it’s important that we do all we can to protect them.”  The Hood simply nodded.  He hadn’t been down in Titanica for a vacation.  He had something that belonged to King Titan, and Titan was willing to pay very handsomely for its return.  Bringing back Gordon was an unexpected, added bonus.  

–

Scott watched as his younger brother unloaded Pod 4 in the hangar.  Brains was already down there waiting, but Jeff had refused to move from the reports on his desk.  It took all of Scott’s strength to not literally knock some sense into his father.

Scott retreated to the kitchen in search of some pie and ice cream.  He needed to talk to John too.  There was no way that he’d just sit around and wait for something to happen.  With his food in hand, he made his way up to his rooms.  His comfort foods would help him remain calm and clear his head.  

“If he’s not found, then that’s it.”  Scot overheard Jeff say flatly.  “The others can pilot Thunderbird 4.”  Scott bit his tongue and went to his rooms.  The dishes in his hands found themselves thrown against the wall.  They shattered into hundreds of pieces.  Virgil heard the noise, but luckily Jeff had not.

“Scott?”  Virgil called out cautiously as he entered the room.  His big brother was pacing the floor, seething.  He could see the anger coming out of his ears.  “Whoa…what happened?”

“Father!”  He said and pointed in the general direction of Jeff’s room.  “He doesn’t care if Gordon comes back.  One of us could easily replace Gordon.  He actually said that to someone on the phone!”  Scott continued to pace the floor.  

“Are you sure that’s all he said?”

“I didn’t need to hear anything else Virgil.”

–

Kyrano had called in on Jeff’s private line.  He had been very specific about how he wanted all communication regarding the search for his son.  Nothing official…or traceable.  That phone had only been used once before and would hopefully never be used again.

“Jeff, you need to prepare for the possibility that he may not return home.  The leads make no sense.  He made an excuse to be out there.  I can’t see the actual messages, but something or someone told him or asked him to check on that diseased reef.”

“What do you mean?  You think he chose to disappear or purposely walked into some kind of trap?”  Kyrano chose his next words very carefully before he answered those questions.

“This was not a trap, of that much I’m certain.  He was out there on purpose.”  Jeff found himself going from worry to fury.

“If he’s not found out there, then that’s it.  The others can pilot Thunderbird 4.  If he chose to run off, then that’s his decision.  Follow up on any leads you may have though.”

“Of course sir.”  Parker’s call was no better.  The more leads he tracked, the more it looked like his disappearance was planned, and he had no intention of returning home.

–

“John have you found anything?”  Scott was determined to leave and start searching himself.  He just needed to know a direction to fly.

“At the risk of Gordon pulling his jokes on my Thunderbird, I hacked his email.  You know, the one he uses for WASP stuff…”  Scott sat up and leaned closer to John’s video feed.

“And…”

“I only recognize a few names…Troy Tempest being one of them.  Someone named Aphony asked for their help, off the record.  I don’t know who that is, or why he’d ask for help from Stingray and Thunderbird 4…or why either of them would just do it.”

“If it was WASP related, it would make sense.”  Virgil chimed in.  

“How so Virg?”  Scott asked.  “He doesn’t talk about his time there because it’s not the Air Force.”  Virgil pinched his nose.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe that you have a college degree and do calculus problems for fun, because some of the words that leave your mouth are just unbelievable.  It’s more likely that he cannot talk about things, not that he won’t.  He talks plenty, if you just ask.”

“Okay…and…it still doesn’t explain why he just went along with it.”  John and Virgil both smacked their heads because of their oblivious idiot of a brother.  “Oh…”

“How does Penny like to put it?  ‘I always obey the call of friendship’.  Obviously this person is important to him or someone very close.”

“Okay, but what now?”  Unfortunately everything that John found only brought more unanswerable questions.  He would keep working on it.  

–

Jeff did not eat dinner with the family, and Kyrano was still away for some unknown reason.  TinTin hadn’t even heard from him since his sudden departure.  Virgil went to bring him a plate of food, but he heard nothing coming from his father’s rooms.

“Dad?  You missed dinner, so I brought you a plate.”  Jeff didn’t look up from his phone, and Virgil saw the pictures of Gordon knocked over on his desk and dressers.

“Set it over there son.  I’m not very hungry tonight.”  That was pretty true.  He was sick to his stomach over the possibility that Gordon had simply run away.  He wouldn’t have fought him if he said that he wanted to leave and start a life of his own.  His boys all had that choice.  All they had to do was tell him.

“Okay Dad.”  Virgil did as instructed and left his father alone.  He knew that phone and had seen it only once before.  Maybe he did care?  It would also explain why Kyrano left so suddenly.  Virgil didn’t know much about his past, but he knew that he had a hand in Scott’s recovery from Bereznik.

“Hey John.  Dad’s got the phone out.”  Virgil called up to him.

“The phone?”  John asked.  

“Yeah, that one.”  John breathed a sigh of relief.  “I’ll tell Scott about it tonight.  Any chance you could peek in on it?”

“Yes, but I shouldn’t.”  It was one thing to hack his brother’s email, but his father’s private phone…

“I suppose this means that he’s not a complete, heartless ass.”

“Listen, I’ll do it, if there’s no other choice, but we all know how Dad feels about him.  The good and the bad.  He may not say it outright, but he doesn’t exactly hide anything.”  Virgil sighed.

“I know John, and I hate it.  Gordon doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”

“Virgil, try to rest and focus on the things you can do and control.”

“Thanks John.”  Talking to John always helped him.  He just hoped that he could get through to Scott later.

–

“Rest Gordon.  The morning will be here soon.”  Gordon was tired and laid down without a fight.  He thought he saw the Hood’s eyes glow yellow, but he could not be sure.  He was asleep and snoring before his brain could question how wrong things were.

The Hood worked on his new plan.  How best to get his revenge on the great Jeff Tracy than to steal one of his sons away from him, and he didn’t even have to try very hard.  He didn’t know exactly why, but there seemed to be something going on between them.  Yeah, Jeff seemed to toss him to the side, but there was something more.  He went off to collect more information.  There was only so much he cared to ask about the sea.

The morning brought with it pictures of a younger Gordon and two things stood out.  It was concrete proof that Jeff didn’t care about his 4th son.  In all of the pictures, he was either absent completely or wore a look of disappointment and boredom.  Even Scott had found a way to get time away from the Air Force to be able to watch Gordon win his gold medal.  He had to be subtle, slow, but it was obvious that Gordon longed to win his father’s approval.  Breaking that bond would be difficult but worth the effort.

–

Gordon tried to focus on the little things.  His room might look pretty, but it was still a prison.  He got to cleaning first.  The soap burned his lacerations, but he had to try to keep them clean.  An infection would kill what little strength he had.  Next, he finished cleaning up the broken mirror.  Shards seemed to be everywhere, but he took his time to get it all picked up.  He kept 1 decently sized chunk so that he could still look at his reflection.

The Hood had been surprised to see him cleaning, when he entered Gordon’s room.

“Use the bots for that.”  He caught sight of the shard that Gordon had set aside.  “I’ll have a new mirror installed tonight for you.  He knew that he’d asked Gordon if he wanted that yesterday, and that he hadn’t actually answered him, but the undiscarded shard gave him away.  “Breakfast is ready as well.”

So far, the Hood hadn’t given him any reason to mistrust the food, so he nodded and followed him out of the room.  Gordon tried to keep things light, and the Hood picked up on it.  He did not like the greasier foods.

After breakfast, the Hood took Gordon over to one of his large saltwater tanks.  It was almost a mini reef with a variety of small fish and a lot of different kinds of cone snails.  

“An odd choice for a fish tank.  Those guys can be jerks and quite deadly.  If I’m around one of their habitats, I need to wear my thicker suit.”  Gordon said.  

“That would explain why the fish seem to disappear quite quickly, but it’s their shells that always catch my eyes.  I don’t intend to handle them, nor did I intend to have so many.”

“Yea, if they’re comfortable, safe, and well fed in their habitat, they’ll multiply and thrive.  You really should consider releasing at least half of them.  There’s a nice area in the Pacific where you can do it, but really most tropical waters are okay.”  Gordon continued to look at them.  “Did you know that their venom could be medicinal?”

“Oh?”  He let Gordon prattle on about it.  He did catch something though.  A mention of an older brother getting that medicine while he was hospitalized.  “Dad called it voodoo medicine…no offense…but it really helped my pain and spasms.  I consider myself lucky that John had found it.  Without it, I probably wouldn’t be walking today.”  Gordon was saddened by the memory.  The Hood used that as an opportunity and turned his yellow eyes on the mention of that memory.  He pulled the ire towards his father forward.  Afterall, his father would have been the reason that he was confined to a wheelchair.  Instead, a well meaning brother stuck his neck out, defying the mighty Jeff Tracy.

–

John spent some time in Gordon’s email, trying to understand who Aphony was.  All he could figure was that he had something to do with a place called Pacifica, which John could not find on any of his maps.  He knows that Troy Tempest was a real person, so he didn’t think that this was just an elaborate joke.  He called down to Scott.

“Hey Scott.  Just how far do you want me to push?”

“What do you mean?  I’d like to find Gordon.”  He seemed confused by the question.  

“Okay then, 2 options.  I reach out to Troy Tempest, or I hack Dad’s special phone.”

“Oof.  I mean, if this is some WASP secret, he won’t talk, just like Gordon doesn’t.  On the other hand, we know that Dad’s only ever used that phone once before.”  Scott knew why, even though he had very few details about it.  

“I want to lean towards Dad’s phone first, but it’s also a major breach of trust and privacy…worse than me hacking Gordon’s email…when he finds out…”

“I know, I know.  Dad’s phone please.  I’ll take the hit on this one.  Quite frankly John, Dad’s not exactly high up on the list of people that I like right now.  Hell, outside of talking to Commander Shore, he hasn’t even called the authorities to report him officially missing, and I know that Shore hasn’t made the call either.  Anything he’s done, he’s done out of friendship.  Dad has to be the one to make the missing persons report.”

“Okay Scott.  I’ll let you know what I find.”

John got to work right away.  The trick was to access the device without him knowing.  His dad wasn’t a hacker of his level, but he could spot a breach attempt pretty easily.  He worked slowly, but a callout interrupted his work.  Of course…an oil rig.

Jeff sent Scott with Virgil, because Scott was fairly comfortable with Thunderbird 4.  Scott tried his best to focus on the task at hand, but his mind kept slipping back to Gordon.

“Scott, focus.”  Virgil told him  over a private frequency.  He knew that John and their father were listening in on their normal frequency.  “He won’t be happy when he gets home and finds his bird in pieces.  You’ve got this, just focus on the task.”  Scott took a deep breath and got to work.

Luckily the clean-up didn’t take long, after the repairs were completed.  The rig would need to be decommissioned, but it was no longer a threat to the local ecosystem.  Scott’s phone buzzed with a message.  

John: I found something.  Call me later.

Scott: Good or bad.

John: Other.

Scott didn’t respond after that.  He wasn’t sure what to think of John’s message, but he was pretty sure that it would keep him up all night.  He opted to take a quick nap on the ride home.

“Okay John, what did you find?”  Before answering, John sent him copies of text messages, and Scott read them before speaking again.  “So, he sent Kyrano and Parker off to find him, but the consensus between the three of them seems to be that he ran away?”  He questioned.  

“Yeah, it seems that way.  Kyrano will be home by morning.  Parker will be back in England tonight.”  Scott shook his head.

“It doesn’t make sense.  Even if he had just started swimming to shore, there’s nothing out there, and that’s if he had enough air in his tank to reach the surface.”  John nodded.

“I agree.  I’m going to reach out to Troy.”

“Please.  Gordon may not have told Dad, but he would have told us, or you would have seen something on his phone.”  Scott and John heard someone near his door, so they ended the call quickly.  Turns out, it was just Alan walking to his room.  The poor kid had been pretty quiet since his initial outburst.  

Kyrano returned to the island the next morning with extra supplies.  As far as anyone knew, he was just on some supply runs and took a little extra time for himself.  Only Scott and John knew the truth that they should not have known.

–

Why is he messaging me? Troy looked at his phone.  Somehow, John had gotten his information and wanted to talk…privately.

Troy: In an hour, I’ll head out to the shore.  We can talk in private.  No one will be out there this late.

John: FAB

Over the next hour, Troy tried to figure out what John wanted or could possibly know.  It was obviously about Gordon’s disappearance, but he already reported all that he knew, which was almost nothing. John had obviously gotten into Gordon’s phone to get his contact information.

“Thanks Troy.  I really appreciate this.”

“He’s going to be mad that you hacked his phone.  Privacy’s pretty important, you know.”  Troy jabbed.

“I know far too well, and I’ll beg his forgiveness later.  Listen, I have 2 questions.”  John said, keeping them on the task at hand.

“Okay, shoot.”

“Is Gordon in Marineville?  There are people who believe that he’s simply a runaway, but I don’t believe that for a moment and neither does Scott.”

“He’s not here, and I don’t believe that he’s a runaway either.  Thunderbird 4 did not float down to her position, and there wouldn’t have been enough air in his tanks to swim up to the surface.”  John agreed, even with his practice and expertise, the math simply didn’t add up.  No matter how many ways he calculated it, Gordon would have run out of air well before he reached the surface.  

“Okay, trust me.  Scott and I agree.  I ran the numbers.  The next question’s harder though.  Who’s Aphony?”  Troy let out a breath.

“Listen, I can’t say much, okay…”

“I keep good secrets Troy.  I just want to make sure my kid brother’s okay.  It’s just you and me here.”  Troy looked around to make sure he was still alone.  He didn’t need anyone reporting back that he was talking about any of this.  

“There’s races of people underwater.  He’s the king of Pacifica, which is located near the diseased reef.  His daughter is part of my crew.”  John had not expected that.  

“Whoa.  Could he be down there?”

“We already checked.  He’s not.  One of the other races doesn’t exactly like us land dwellers.  If he had one of us, he would have said something by now.  They’re not exactly known for keeping their mouths shut.”

“Could it be possible that they did grab him and maybe handed him off to someone else?”

“That’s more plausible than him running away.  Listen, I’ll poke around as much as I can, but this isn’t a WASP matter.  So, there’s only so much I can do.”  Troy hoped that John understood.  His hands were pretty tied.

“I get it.  Thanks Troy.”

After the call ended, Troy checked their patrol routes for the next few days.  They would be near Pacifica, and it appeared that they might be tasked with part of the reef assignment.  Local oceanographers had noticed the dying reef too, which made things pretty convenient for them.  It was just the excuse he needed to be in that area.

–

Gordon had been kept confined to his room.  He wasn’t sure what was going on, but a knock at his door told him that his food had been delivered.  He kept trying to figure out where he was and how he might be able to get out, but the room lacked windows, and he couldn’t find any vents.  He slumped into one of the ornate chairs.

“Does he even care?  I mean, I know my brothers do, but Dad…probably indifferent or glad to be rid of me.”  He was sure that he had already been replaced without question.  He got up and started kicking around a random object.  “No Gordon…this isn’t a mission for you…Let your brother get some practice in Thunderbird 4…No Gordon…No Gordon…”

Unbeknownst to him, the Hood had overheard it all.  It was that one last little bit of confirmation that he needed.  He listened to Gordon mumble to himself until the young man collapsed on his bed, exhausted.  Even in his sleep, he mumbled.  The Hood decided to keep him confined a while longer.  Little by little, he would bring him to his side.

–

“Dad?”  Scott approached Jeff’s desk slowly.

“I’m a bit busy right now with these reports, Scott.  Can this wait?”  Jeff was cold, his voice sharp.

“Should we report him missing?”

“Scott, your brother chose to leave.  That’s it.  We’ll have to live with his decision.”  Jeff was completely convinced that he’d just run off, not caring how his sudden disappearance would affect others.  “That being said, come up with a training schedule for all 4 of you.  Alan first, since his tour of duty on Thunderbird 5 starts next week.  If a sea rescue comes in, one of you will have to pilot her.”

Scott went off to do as instructed.  Every line he wrote was pure agony.  It just wasn’t right, and Gordon hadn’t run away.  The papers…the pens…and everything else on his desk were thrown to the floor.  He stood over the mess, breathing heavily.  When he didn’t answer John’s call, John sent Virgil to check in on him.

Virgil found him standing over the mess.  He guided Scott to a nearby chair and started cleaning up and made a mental note to buy more glassware and plates.  When he gathered the papers, he saw the schedule that Scott had been making and immediately understood what happened.

“Talk to me Scooter.  I’m assuming that Dad told you to write this up.”

“Yes, he’s convinced that Gordon ran off…won’t even report him missing, just expects us to forget about him and move on.”

“Honestly Scott, at this point, I expected no different.  Dad seems utterly convinced, even though the facts point elsewhere.  We can report him missing though, but that’ll get right back to him…”

“And open another can of worms.”  They knew that the authorities would start their investigation on the island, which would only result in their father spinning his story about Gordon running away.  Gordon was an adult and was allowed to travel as he pleased.  He didn’t have to tell anyone anything.  Jeff wouldn’t/couldn’t say anything about Thunderbird 4, as it would expose them.

“John was trying to call you, unsure why.  You might want to touch base with him.”  Scott nodded and uttered ‘thanks’ for the message and for helping clean up the mess he made.

–

“Kyrano…Kyrano…”  The Hood’s eyes glowed yellow.  He needed to know what was happening back on the island.  So far, he saw nothing about Gordon being reported missing.  “Kyrano…Kyrano…”  That probably meant that his family believed that he had run off, but he needed to be sure.  

Kyrano fell to the floor in his bathroom, nearly hitting his head on the side of his bathtub.  He moaned as he felt his brother’s calls.  He tried to resist, but in the end, he could not stop what would happen.

“Kyrano…Kyrano…Where is Gordon Tracy?”  Kyrano moaned, still trying to fight against the voice in his head.

“R…ran away…gone…”

“Kyrano…Kyrano…Jeff Tracy, is he looking for his son?”

“N-no…not anymore…ran away…”  The Hood’s eyes stopped glowing, and Kyrano woke up, unable to remember what had happened.  He was unaware that he’d just given the Hood everything he needed, in less than 10 words.

The Hood made his way back to Gordon’s room to observe him again.  Gordon was taking time to explore his surroundings and still occasionally talked to himself.  The Hood made sure to change the intervals between his food deliveries, because he saw that Gordon was trying to use them to track time.  He left the young man alone with his own thoughts.  

Gordon knew that there were vents somewhere.  He could feel the movement of air every so often, and the air in the room hadn’t gotten stale.  He still had trouble telling time.  No windows…no vents…it unnerved him.  The food seemed to come on regular intervals.  Next meal should come soon and should be a lunch.  He missed his brothers and hoped that they were all okay.

The Hood smiled and let his eyes glow yellow again.  He pulled the negative thoughts forward, burying the worry for his brothers.  He watched as Gordon’s demeanor changed.  His face hardened into a scowl.  Gordon started to talk to himself again.

“I bet Dad doesn’t even care.  He’s not looking for me…obviously.”  The Hood smiled.  He was patient and could wait a while longer.  After all these years, he’d have his ultimate revenge on Jeff Tracy, and his own son would help him do it.

–

“You tried to call me John?”  Scott had made sure to clean himself up and calm down a bit more before calling him.  

“Yeah, hold on.”  John had to finish working a call that didn’t require International Rescue’s direct intervention.  “Sorry Scott.  I spoke with Troy briefly.  He agreed to poke around a bit, but he needs to be careful.  Officially, Gordon’s not missing, and this isn’t a WASP matter.  If he comes across something, he will let us know.”  Scott nodded.  It made sense, and he appreciated any help they could get.

–

“Ready Skipper?”  Phones noticed that Troy had seemed preoccupied lately, ever since that late night walk on the beach.  He wasn’t sure what had happened out there but something surely did.  “We need to get on with our patrols, then baby sitting duty.”

“Yeah.  Where’s Marina?”  Troy asked.  

“Waiting for us in Stingray.  She’s setting up the equipment that she’ll need to help the biologists later.”  Troy got up and led the way.  This would be his opportunity to poke around, and he could not squander it.

The waters around Titanica seemed eerily silent.  They saw some movement, but the chatter and general noise just wasn’t there.  Their border patrols seemed to be a quarter of what they were used to seeing.

“He’s mad.”  Marina signed to Troy and Phones.

“Titan?”  Troy questioned, and Marina nodded.

“Seen before.  He feels betrayed.  Planning something.”  Troy scratched his chin.

“I wonder what happened Troy.”

“Let’s report what we know so far.  I’m sure Commander Shore will want to increase patrols.  For now, let’s move to our next assignment.”  They set off to the diseased reef to meet up with the marine biologists.

–

Marina had been right.  The Terranian, with the glowing eyes, had lied to Titan.  The ancient relics he promised to deliver were fake, and when Titan later found out Gordon’s connection to the WASP’s, that angered him even further.  He sent patrols and people out to find the men, but so far, nothing had come of it.

“X-20, you had better have proper news for me.  I want that Terranian and my prisoner back.”  King Titan snapped at the smaller man.

“The only news that I have to report is that your prisoner has not yet been reported missing by his organization, his family, or anyone else.  It appears that no one, but you, is trying to look for him.”  This was not news.  He didn’t care if anyone else cared about the red haired one.  Titan waved him off.  He needed to send out more agents to search for them, since the current ones couldn’t seem to get the job done.  

–

After accompanying the biologists to the reef, Marina took the opportunity to visit home.  Her equipment didn’t need much babysitting, once it was turned on.  It just needed to gather data, which she would interpret later.  That’s why Troy had no problem with her quick trip home.

Aphony asked her about Gordon.  Marina confirmed that he was unofficially missing, and that no one had heard anything from him since before his arrival to the reef.  She cautioned her father about King Titan.  Aphony had felt the eerie silence too, even the sea creatures were trying to avoid that area.  Marina couldn’t help but to feel that Titan had something to do with Gordon’s disappearance, but she had no proof or leads.

“I have heard of a Terranian with yellow eyes.  He visited a few of the underwater worlds and was last seen heading to Titanica.”

“Why?”  Marina asked her father.  

“Selling and trading ancient treasures.  I’m told they were fake, but Titan may not have realized at the time.  This might be the cause of his anger.  If he has Gordon, he may be trying to punish him for it.

“Maybe he traded Gordon for the relics, and he could be with the yellow eyed one?”

“It’s possible.”  Aphony promised to pass along any information that comes his way.  He was deeply concerned about Gordon.  Upon her return to Stingray, Marina told Troy about the man with the glowing eyes.  Troy made a mental note to pass along the information to John.  Maybe the man would be familiar to him.  He certainly didn’t know anyone like that, but International Rescue had come across all sorts of people on their rescues.

“Let’s set up the bunks.  We’ll be sleeping in shifts.”  Troy ordered.  Marina and Phones knew the drill.  It wasn’t the first patrol that would keep them out all night, and it wouldn’t be the last.  Troy wanted to call up to John, but it would be impossible until they surfaced, and even then, he’d have to wait until he was away from the others.  This wasn’t a conversation for any official channels.  No one knew that he was helping the Tracy brothers, and it needed to stay that way for now.  

–

The next morning…was it morning?  Gordon questioned to himself silently.  He wasn’t sure, but he had certainly woken up with a bad migraine.  He heard the soft knock at the door that signaled his food delivery.  Unfortunately, the migraine made him too nauseous to eat.  Gordon got up slowly and went to the door to gather his tray.  He hadn’t expected to be greeted by the Hood, because he hadn’t seen him in a little while.

“Good morning Gordon.  I was going to offer you breakfast in my dining area, but you appear ill.”

“Migraine, and to be honest, I’m not very hungry.”  The Hood nodded, and his eyes started to glow yellow.  Gordon’s migraine got exponentially worse.

“If you’re up to it later, I could use your help with my saltwater tank.  Those snails are still multiplying.”  He fed on Gordon’s love for all things from the sea…making him sense only that.  “There’s migraine medicine in your bathroom.  Go rest.  I’ll come back later.”  Gordon nodded and let his legs lead him.  Before he realized it, he had taken 2 of the pills and gotten into bed.  The seeds had been planted, and they would soon grow.  It was all the Hood needed.

Gordon slept through lunch and woke up mid afternoon.  The medicine and rest seemed to have helped his migraine.  The Hood came back to his room, shortly after he finished freshening up.

“You seem better now Gordon.”

“Yes, whatever was in that medicine helped a lot.  I’ve never had a migraine go away so quickly.”  He was hungry, and as he thought to ask for food, he remembered that he was a prisoner there, not a guest.

“I have some soup prepared for you, then we can work on the saltwater tank.”  Gordon followed him to the adjoining room and sat down to eat.  The Hood did not eat this time, choosing instead to sip some tea.

“Do you know where you want to release them?  They need tropical saltwater.  Although you can find them in the tropical Atlantic, you’ll see many more in the tropical Pacific.”  The Hood pulled out a map for him.

“Simply tell me where, and I’ll make it so.”  Gordon pointed out 2 areas where he knew there to be large colonies of the cone snails.

“This area could probably use them more than the other area though.” Gordon said, pointing at the area that was actually closer to the Hood’s island.  

“Then, that’s where we will release them.”

Gordon was a little confused by his turn of phrase, but the Hood quickly distracted him with busy work.  He had to set up the holding tank first.  They were living creatures, and he couldn’t just toss them into a bucket with some saltwater.  The Hood’s eyes glowed yellow behind him, pulling forward the joy of the task at hand and how the Hood was allowing him to use his skills and knowledge to help marine life.  He even let him believe that he appreciated Gordon’s help with this.

“We should let this tank settle for the night, then we can move the snails in the morning and get them rehomed.  Are there certain ones you want to keep or take out?”  The Hood stepped beside him and showed him the ones he liked most, and Gordon took note of it.  “Easy enough.  If we keep just those, we’ll be rehoming about three quarters of the tank.”

When Gordon got back to his room, he did his stretches and exercises.  He needed to be ready for the next morning.  This was his chance…maybe?, but the negative thoughts encroached on him again.  

“For what?  Even if I could escape, do I really want to go home?  They’re probably glad I’m gone.”  Unbeknownst to Gordon, the Hood stood near and fed on those negative thoughts.  “Hell, Dad found Scott in a day, once he started looking.  The Air Force pissed him off enough, and when they called it and refused to attempt a rescue, Dad sent Kyrano and Parker off to find him.  He was in a military hospital within 24 hours…but me?  Nothing…like always…”  Gordon started to pace the room, kicking anything that was near his feet.  “He wasn’t there for my gold medal…my graduations…not even after my accident… Yea sure, the house was ready for me, but it was Scott that did most of that.  He gave me the only Thunderbird that has to rely on another one for just about anything…holds me back from bigger or more dangerous missions…I’ve done my time…I’ve done my training…so…why??”  He kicked something hard across the room, and it nearly hit the Hood in the head.  He let up on Gordon, and almost instantly, the young man fell on the bed, too exhausted to stand.

–

“Troy?”  John questioned when Troy called up to him.  He hoped that it meant good news.  

“Good morning John.  I have some suspicions.  Do you know of a man whose eyes glow yellow?”  John instantly knew who that was.  

“We call him the Hood, why?”

“There are unconfirmed accounts that he was going around to sell relics to some of the underwater races.  Seems that he may have scammed King Titan.  A witness stated that he saw the yellow eyed man leave with a red haired Terranian, before Titan realized that the relics were fake.”

“You think that was Gordon, and that means that he might be with the Hood?”

“The pieces fit, but I’m not 100% sure.  I’m sorry.  That's all I have.”

“Thanks Troy.  It’s more than the rest of us could find.  I’ll take it from here.”  If Gordon was with the Hood, it wouldn’t be easy to find him.  He was a master of disguise, and they had never been able to locate his hideout.  The most that John had been able to figure out was that he was based somewhere in Asia, probably an island, but his leads always fell short.  John called down to Scott to fill him in.

“I heard from Troy.  Seems flimsy, but it’s all we have.  Apparently, the Hood was spotted near his last known location, and he was later spotted with a prisoner that looked like Gordon.  It’s not much, but I’ll follow up the best I can.”  Scott wished it was more, but this was the best lead that they’d heard since they started looking for Gordon.  

–

Gordon busied himself with the tank, checking the temperature and the mini habitat that he had created.  He knew that it didn’t need to be perfect, but he wanted them to be comfortable for the journey to their new home.  The Hood stood next to him, handing over tools as necessary.

“How long will it take to get there?  I’m not sure if feeding them now will be enough.”

“2-3 hours, probably closer to 3.”

“Okay, that’s fine.  I’ll move them over and feed them before we leave.”  The Hood continued to watch him work.  Gordon was gentle when he sorted and moved them.  He wasn’t sure why Gordon needed to be so gentle, but he recognized the skill in front of him.  He was very obviously well educated and passionate about his work.  Once he got them transferred, he gave them some food.

“Okay, let’s give them an hour, then we can head out.  This cart has wheels, right?  Now that the tank is full of everything, it’s really heavy.”  The Hood pointed towards the wheel locks.  “Ah, good.”

“Would you like to eat before we leave?”  Gordon nodded.  After a light meal, they secured the tank in the Hood’s boat and set off.  It was the first time that Gordon had seen daylight in a while.  It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust, but the sunlight felt nice on his skin.  He took note of the position of the sun in the sky and the general direction they were heading, but the Hood interrupted his musings.

“How do we release them?”

“If the temperature of the tank is near the temperature of the water, we can just throw them in.  If not, we’ll need to adjust the tank until it’s good.  Otherwise the shock can kill them.”  That made sense.  It was like introducing new fish to a tank.

They passed a few fishing boats on the way.  No one seemed to pay them any mind, but Gordon recognized one of the boats and crew.  He had helped them years ago, back when he was stationed in Marineville, but he seemed to ignore them, focusing on the tank instead.  The Hood saw the flash of recognition in his eyes, but Gordon seemed to ignore it.  He smiled.  This was Gordon’s chance, and he didn’t seem to want to take it.

Once at the coordinates that Gordon had chosen, he got to work.  He needed to adjust the temperature a little bit.  Again, the Hood stood by and let the young man work.  A short while later, Gordon began to release them.

“That’s it.  This is their new home now.”

“So it is.”  The Hood turned the boat around and returned to his island.  Their approach allowed Gordon a good look at the Hood’s temple home.  For the Hood, this test had gone much better than expected.  He thought that Gordon would try something, but so far, nothing.

With the boat secured in the dock, the Hood decided to show Gordon around some of the other rooms in his temple.  Gordon had earned the chance to explore his surroundings some more and seemed to enjoy the impromptu tour.  There were more of the same artifacts in every room, and he even saw a candlelit altar.  He wasn’t sure what religion this covered, but he respected it.

After dinner, the Hood brought him back to his room to rest.  He decided to see how Gordon would behave over the next few hours and days, so he went back to having his food delivered to him and would keep him confined for now.  He had to be sure that he was making real progress with him.  Gordon fell asleep quickly that night, but his slumber was interrupted by his thoughts.  He used the timing and the position of the sun in the sky to tell him his general location.  If he had it right, he was somewhere in Malaysia.  To pinpoint it better, he needed to see a map.

When breakfast time came around, he was surprised to see his food delivered.  He wasn’t sure what had changed, but he knew that he wouldn’t be leaving that room any time soon.  The silence left him alone with his thoughts again.  He picked at the food and tried to remember the positions of the different islands in the area.  Even if I could figure it out, what use is it to me?  Gordon sighed.  Why didn’t I say anything to any of those boats?  He had no real answer to that question…at least no answer that made any actual sense.

He spent most of the rest of the morning working on his stretches and exercises, because he needed to take care of his back.  Every so often, the Hood could hear him mumble something about being stupid.  His eyes glowed yellow again, and he brought those emotions forward.  Self loathing could be a very useful tool right now.

Gordon’s head started to hurt again, and he started to feel worse about his missed opportunity for escape.  

“I knew one of those boats and her crew!  It would have been easy…idiot…”  His headache got even worse and the room started to spin.  No wonder Dad hates me…  That was his last thought before he passed out again.  The Hood smiled.  Not quite what he had expected, but it would work just fine to suit his needs.  He decided that Gordon needed to stay confined a while longer, to allow the negative thoughts to stew some more.  Then, he’d be ready to accept his offer of employment.

He didn’t bother to send him a lunch tray, as Gordon was still asleep.  He could tell that the young man was in pain, but it wasn’t waking him up.  That evening, he made sure to include medicine with his meal tray.  

Gordon struggled quite a bit with the intrusive, negative thoughts over the next few days, and the Hood’s eyes egged it all on.

–

“We got a good haul out here Skipper.”

“Yes we did, but we need to make sure we reapply for our fishing permit.  We’ll stop by Marineville on our way back.”

“Hey, did you see that little boat?  I’ve seen it around a few times, but never with a passenger, just the bald guy.”

“Yeah.  It looked like Lieutenant Tracy.  No clue why he’d be with that creep.  If we see him out this way again, we should say hello.”  His second nodded his head and kept up with their work.  He had to make sure that their catch was properly stored and catalogued.  The whole crew knew Lieutenant Tracy.  He was no nonsense when it came to marine life and had set them all straight at one time or another.  Weirdly, it was the thing that brought the crew all together.

Back at Marineville, it was Troy that assisted them with their permit renewal.  Commander Shore had been stuck in meetings, and he didn’t want them to have to come back another day.

“How’d it go?”  Troy asked, as he looked over the application.    

“Very well, but we’re not over limits.  I have it all in our logs, and you can check yourself.  I promised Tracy that I’d behave, and I have been.”  Troy chuckled and checked their ship and records.    

“All’s well here.  Let’s head back to the tower, and I’ll get your renewal all set.”  They chatted a bit while Troy filed the necessary paperwork.  The ship captain mentioned possibly seeing Gordon.  That got Troy’s attention, his head shooting up.

“You saw him out there?  Do you remember where he was heading?”  Troy asked a bit too quickly.  The skipper thought it was an innocent comment, but Troy’s reaction threw him.

“Got a map?  And yea, he was with some weird guy.  I’m pretty sure it was him.  To be honest, I’d stay away from baldy.  Something’s off about the guy.”  He took a look at Troy’s map and pointed towards a few islands.  “They probably came from somewhere in this area.  That boat can only hold 6-8 hours of fuel, and we were pretty far out there.  We saw them head out, then turn around in the direction they had come.”

“Thanks.  Not sure what he’s up to nowadays.  Maybe he’s doing research or something.”  Troy shrugged and appeared to blow it off.  “Here’s your paperwork.  All set for the next 6 months.”

“Thanks!  We really appreciate this.  We probably won’t be out this way again for a few weeks.  Figured it was best to get this done while we were in the area.  Have a good one!”  Troy walked him out before heading somewhere private to make a call.

“Hey John.  Got a minute?  It’s important.”

“Yeah Troy, hang on.”  John made sure that Virgil and Scot were good for their flights home, and he’d keep an ear towards their lines, just in case.  “Sorry about that.  My brothers just cleared up from a call and are returning home.  What’s up?”

“I just had an interesting conversation with a fishing boat captain.  He thinks that he spotted Gordon.  He was with some bald guy.”

“The Hood is bald.  When he’s in disguise, he often wears wigs.  It could be a solid lead.  Did he give any location details?”

“He did.  I’m sending you a map reference now.”  John knew that area.  Kyrano has some estranged family out there, but he doesn’t talk about them, or to them, very often, preferring to keep no contact.  He wasn’t sure what had happened, but they wouldn’t push Kyrano for information.  If he wanted to talk about it, then he would.  

“I appreciate all of this Troy.  I’ll let you know how it pans out.”  John sent a quick text to Scott.  He needed to talk to him once he was clear, and they needed to make an excuse to go out there.  John studied his satellite imagery, looking for any evidence of life on the islands in that area.  There were a lot, but he figured that they were looking for something away from the tourist areas.  The Hood liked to hide, and in this case, hiding in plain sight probably wouldn’t work for him.

–

Scott was exhausted and dirty from that last mission.  He had to let John take mission control, so that he could dig with Virgil.  His phone buzzed.  A 911 message from John.  

John:  As soon as you are cleaned up, we need to talk.  I got another call.

Scott:  Understood.

If John was messaging him privately, Scott knew that he couldn’t call while traveling back from the mission.  His father would overhear it all, and he was sure that Jeff was still up, sitting at his desk and waiting for them to get home.  He wondered who called John, but figured that it had to be Troy, and it had to be about Gordon.

He wanted to rush the meeting debrief, but he didn’t want his father to get suspicious or start asking questions.  He was already tired and didn’t need any headache about being unprofessional or whatnot.  After the 30 minute debrief, Jeff dismissed the boys, and Scott headed straight to the shower.  He needed to get cleaned up and let his muscles relax.  Then, he called up to John once he was done.  

“Hey John.  Is now a good time?”

“Yeah Scott.  I’m just finishing your mission paperwork.  If you want, Virgil can be in on this now, or you can fill him in later.”

“Okay, standby.”  Scott called Virgil into his room.  “We’re both here, and the coast is clear.  What’s up?”

“I got another call from Troy.  A fisherman may have seen Gordon with the Hood out in the middle of the Pacific.”

“The Hood?”  Virgil questioned.

“Yeah.  They called him baldy.  Said that they’ve seen him out there before.  The important thing is that they were able to provide a heading and a possible general location.  I’ve got it down to a few isolated islands.  Over the years, that area has tried to move people off of some of the less populated/more remote ones, in an effort to protect some of the sea and wildlife.  I’m betting he’s in that area and pretty well hidden.”

“Okay, so what now?  Keep looking for clues or make up an excuse to be out there?”

“Give me 24 hours Scott.  Let me see if I can pin things down better, then we make up some excuse to be out that way.”  Scott and Virgil nodded.  They hoped that this was the lead.  Gordon could quite possibly be home with them again soon.  

Virgil went off to his room to get some sleep.  Scott tried too, but his mind was racing.  How did he get out there?  How did the Hood get him?  Was it Gordon with the Hood in that boat, and why didn’t Gordon ask for help?  Scott wouldn’t fall asleep for a few hours because of these questions, but he got up in the morning like normal and carried on, keeping his routine like always.  John had asked for 24 hours, so he would have answers and a course of action tonight.  Hopefully that meant that he’d have his brother back within a few days too.

The day dragged on.  No calls, no paperwork, just free time…and too much time to think about things that could not be discussed openly.  When playing billiards didn’t work, Scott practiced his shooting.  Anything to try to keep his hands and mind occupied.    

–

John was hard at work.  Every chance he had, he was looking at every bit of data from the satellites.  If the Hood was hiding on one of the Malaysian islands, he was doing a very good job at it.  

I know I promised Scott 24 hours, but I may need more time.  The Hood has got to travel to and from the island to do and get things.  We know he does, but I may need to wait for that to happen.  John didn’t like to be stymied by data.  The answers were there; he just had to find them.  He then started thinking of the next step in the plan.  If it were Gordon looking to visit that area, it would be easy, given his background, but how could he get Scott out there and not arouse suspicion?  

“Hey Scott, I wish I had a game plan for us, but I need some more time.”  John explained what he had found and what he needed to really pinpoint things.  Otherwise, Scott would be flying out there blind and could fall into a trap that much easier.  He was sure that the Hood expected them to do something at some point.  

“Scott.”  Virgil interrupted his thoughts.  “We need to give John the time he needs.  If that’s Gordon out there, and if the Hood has him, we have no clue if our actions could cause him harm.”  Virgil was right.  

“I know.  You’re both right.  I don’t do sitting still very well.  I just want to see him again and know that he’s okay.”  They all wanted that.  If he was with the Hood, they had no clue why or how he got out there.  They could only be sure that Gordon hadn’t gone willingly, but him not asking for help when he saw the boats seemed odd.

“Scott, I’m sure he wanted to say or do something, but if that was the Hood, we know that he can control things with his eyes.  We’ve seen it happen before.  I’m sure that if he was given the chance, he’d try to escape, if it was possible.  Otherwise, he’d be trying to stay alive.”

“He’s right Scott.  Gordon’s strong.  He’s trying to stay alive until he can escape, either on his own or with our help.  As soon as I have what I need, I’ll let you two know.  I’ll also brainstorm a reason to be out there.”

Scott hated it all.  They seemed so close, but they had to keep waiting.  The logic was sound, but he didn’t have to like it.  He would prefer to go in there, guns blazing.

–

Gordon hated waking up with a migraine, but it had happened again.  He wasn’t sure what was causing them, but they had certainly increased in frequency and intensity.  This one was particularly rough.  When the Hood came with his morning tray, Gordon made no move to get it.  The Hood tried to listen in, but Gordon wasn’t talking.  He let his eyes turn yellow.  At least if he was thinking about something, he could pull the negative thoughts forward.

Gordon groaned.  His head suddenly felt worse, and when he tried to curl into a ball, he managed to fall out of the bed.  The Hood heard it and debated if he should check on the younger man.  He peeked in and saw him breathing, very obviously in pain.  He let his eyes return to their normal color and watched Gordon relax some.  It felt safe enough to leave him to rest. 

Again, no midday meal for Gordon, and when the Hood went to deliver his dinner, he found the breakfast untouched and Gordon crouched near the toilet.  He would have to work without his eye for now.  Gordon was already breaking, he didn’t need to kill him.

“Gordon?”  He called quietly.  He didn’t want Gordon to know that he already knew that he wasn’t well.  

“I’m in the bathroom.  I need a moment to clean myself up.”  The Hood let him have his moment and set his food tray near his bed.  “I’m sorry, but I’ve been ill all day.  Woke up with a bad migraine, and it hasn’t gotten any better.  I was trying to get to the medicine, when I was overcome with nausea.”

“Sit and eat some soup.  I’ll get the medicine for you.”  Gordon did as instructed.  As he sipped slowly, he was handed 2 pills from the bottle.  “Here, they’ll help.  I’ll have to get more of these.  You’ve only got one dose left.”  Gordon had only enough strength to nod.  He wasn’t sure if that meant that he’d have another chance to leave the island, or if he would be confined to this room for the foreseeable future.  He couldn’t think about it very long with the pounding in his head.

Once he took the medicine and ate some more, the Hood left him alone in the room.  His head hurt so much that he couldn’t even think.  It would take a few hours for the medicine to help him, and by that time, he was asleep again.

The Hood knew that he needed to make a supply run soon.  For a moment, he considered taking Gordon with him, but that region was simply too populated.  Out in the middle of the ocean, with just a few fishing ships around, was one thing, but an actual populated area…no, that was too risky.  Gordon wasn’t his yet.  He gathered his lists and made sure that Gordon was secured in his room, before he left.  He’d be back in a few hours.

–

John kept close eyes on those islands, but his father could see what he was doing.  Normally, he wouldn’t question it, but if he was too focused on the same area, for no real reason, for too long, he’d say something.  Just as he was about to switch it up, he caught some movement from the northernmost of the 3 islands.  A small water plane took off, heading towards one of the bigger islands.  It would return about 6 hours later.

“Found you.”  John called down to Scott and Virgil.  This was exactly what he needed.  “I found movement near one of the islands.  A water plane took off and returned about 6 hours later.  Probably a supply run of sorts, but I’m certain that’s the hideout.”

“I just hope that Gordon’s out there.  What’s the plan?”  Scott asked.  John had already thought long and hard about it.  

‘Well Scott, it’s been calm and you’re due a long weekend, right?”

“I am, and I guess that I’m going to Malaysia.  How close can I get?”

“Working the arrangements out now.  You get Dad to give you the long weekend.”

That part was relatively easy.  When it came to their rest times, their father made sure to approve them, even though he usually ignored his own.  Jeff inquired about his plans, but Scott shrugged.

“Nothing really set yet, but I was thinking somewhere out in Malaysia.  They have some interesting sanctuaries out there.  It’s just a thought though.”

“They do a lot for turtles.  Just make sure you follow their rules.  They’re pretty strict about it all.”  He was grateful that Jeff hadn’t really questioned anything.  

“Yes sir.”  Scott walked away and filled John in.  He could easily rent a helicopter or water plane.  Jump in…jump out…and get back.  Simple, right?  

John didn’t like the idea of Scott going in by himself, but he wasn’t sure what the next, best idea would be.  They couldn’t ask Kyrano or Parker to help, because they’d just tell their father.  And, there was no way that Jeff would give Virgil the weekend off too.  It would create too many logistical issues.  He had an idea.  It wasn’t great, but if he could be free, then Scott would have the back up he needed.

John:  Hey Troy, that lead may have been pretty solid.  Got any plans this weekend?

Troy:  Really?  You think he’s out there?  And no, not really.  Nothing that I can’t blow off.  Why?

John:  Of those 3 uninhabited islands, the northernmost one appears to have a squatter.  I caught a water plane taking off and returning.  Scott’s going to go out that way this weekend to see if Gordon is there and grab him, but I’d really rather him not go alone.  

Troy:  Lemme guess, long weekend?  Mini vacation?

John:  To a turtle sanctuary, yes.  

Troy:  Got it.  Can you arrange lodgings, and will he pick me up here, or do I need to fly over?

John:  If you could fly over, that would be easier.  Marineville is in the opposite direction of where he needs to go.  I’ll take care of the lodgings and cover stories.  Let me know if you have trouble getting needed clearances or tickets.  I can help you out there.

Troy:  Thanks John.  If Gordon’s there, we’ll bring him home.

John:  We appreciate your assistance.

John called down to Scott with the final plans.

“Okay Scott.  You’ll have Troy to help.  I got you adjoining rooms at the hotel.  I’ll send you your itineraries and tickets.  He will fly in and meet you there.”  John sent him Troy’s number and Troy Scott’s number.  This way, they wouldn’t have to rely on John to relay messages between them.  

“You’re still watching over that area, right?  Just in case.”

“Of course.  If that was a supply run, then I don’t expect much more movement from that area for a while.”  That made sense to Scott.  The next few nights were going to pass by slowly, even if they had callouts.  All he could do was watch the clock and wait.  By the time Friday had come along, he was pretty nervous but very ready to get the job done.    

He had spoken with Troy.  Travel and plan on Friday.  Saturday, they’d make their move.  There was still no ransom or any other possible sights of him.  While they weren’t totally sure that Gordon was there, it was the best lead they had.

–

Gordon was still sleeping when he returned; his food barely touched.  Again, he appeared to be in a fitful sleep.  The Hood made sure his medicine was restocked and listened to his sleepy ramblings.  He seemed to be mentioning his brother Scott a lot in his sleep lately, but tonight he burrowed his eyes and clenched his muscles every time he uttered his name.  The Hood’s eyes glowed yellow, and he pulled those negative emotions forward.  It allowed him a glimpse of the dream.

Where he used to feel elation in his brother’s return home, he now only felt bitterness.  If his father wouldn’t come find him, then Scott would, but…

“He’s too busy doing what he’s told.”  Normally, those kinds of thoughts would be buried as pure nonsense, but with the Hood pulling them forward, they became totally believable.  Gordon had been missing a while at this point, if they really wanted, they could have and would have done something by now.

The Hood fed into these emotions.  They would help him in the end, make it that much easier to bring Gordon over to his side.  He watched the younger man sleep some more.  Eventually, he stopped talking and settled into a dreamless rest.  

–

“You guys have nice taste.”  Troy said as he looked around the room at the hotel.  He was trying to keep his head in the game, but John had surprised him.  

“Umm, yeah.  Helps that John’s a super planner too.  He sent down information about the island.  We can order some dinner and go over our plan.”

Troy quickly realized that was the understatement of the year.  Maps, satellite data, ocean data, even the timing of local authorities’ patrols.  They had it all in their hands.  John made a few recommendations, but left the actual decisions to them.  It was their area of expertise after all.

They barely tasted the food while they poured over the data.  Tomorrow, they’d get a boat, pretending to be tourists.  If questioned, they would say they got lost while exploring.  The authorities’ habitual routines made it easy to get around any prying eyes.  They’d have to land away from the Hood’s hideout and hike in.  That would be the riskiest part of the plan.  With everything set, Troy and Scott retired for the night.

John woke them up the next morning and told them to hold off.

“Why?  I know we have the boat all day, but what gives?”  Scott was not happy and could not hide his frustration.

“He’s leaving the island as we speak.  I have eyes on his plane.  We may need to rework the plan a little bit.”  Scott let out a sigh.  This was their chance, and they might not be able to act.  “Give it a few minutes guys.  Once he’s in the air a little bit, I should be able to figure out how much time you might have.  On the bright side, you should be able to just get in there and get out.  No hiking through the forest.”

“He’s right Scott.  This might be a major blessing in disguise for us.”  It would certainly make their lives a lot easier.

“Maybe get the boat and float around?”  Scott questioned.  “John, you can just call us when the coast is clear.”  He couldn’t wait this out in the hotel room.

“That’s fine Scott.”  John answered.  He was able to keep close eyes on the Hood’s plane.  Last time, it was evident that it was a short hop between islands, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time.  He’d know soon if this was a short hop or something else.  He needed the time to calculate vectors.

–

One day, he wouldn’t have to answer to anyone, but today was not that day.  Soon, very soon.  With Gordon at his side, he would have all the power, and money, that he needed.  When the call came in that morning, informing him that his presence was needed in England, he had no choice but to leave immediately.  Gordon would be locked in his room, and the bots could heat and deliver his meals.  He didn’t expect to be gone more than 72 hours.  

He was in the air within an hour of receiving that call.  Gordon wouldn’t have access to anything, so he expected no problems.  After all, his family hadn’t even bothered to report him missing, and they seemed to be carrying on as normal with their rescues.

–

John realized that they’d have plenty of time to mount the rescue.  He was able to confirm that it wasn’t a simple island hop.  His vectors put him on a long flight towards Europe.  He gave Scott and Troy detailed instructions on how to approach and what equipment they needed to use to mask and jam any sensors.

“FAB.”

“PWOR.”  They answered in unison.  Troy had a stray thought as they approached the island.  “Do you think the door’s locked?”

“Outside, probably not, but I’m sure he’s got things locked inside.  I somehow doubt that Gordon has free run of the house.”

“Makes sense.  I’m not the greatest locksmith though.”  Scott’s only answer was a soft pat on his firearm.  They didn’t need to be very quiet or cautious with the locks.  It wasn’t like they were trying to sneak into a major bank.

They scanned the area as they docked.  Scans showed no signs of any booby traps or anything of the sort.  As they entered, Scott looked around.  The temple and furnishings reminded him of Kyrano and TinTin.  They continued to scan the area and picked up a life sign.  Scott pointed at a nearby door, and Troy nodded.

The door was locked, but not for long, and they entered the room with caution.  Troy had a fleeting thought that this all seemed too easy.  It didn’t take long for them to find Gordon curled up on the floor, next to the bed.

“Gordon?”  Scott shook his shoulder.  Gordon tried to bat his hand away, but his migraine made everything too difficult.  “Can you stand?”  Gordon shook his head.

“Leave me.”  He mumbled.  “You don’t care anyway.”  Scott wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but he ignored it and picked his little brother up.

“Cover me.”  Troy nodded.  “Let’s get out of here.”  They moved fast after that.  Scott realized that Gordon had lost weight and every moan that slipped out of his mouth was due to pain.  He needed medical attention, quickly.

Troy steered their boat away from the island, while Scott worked on some scans.  Gordon was still mumbling nonsense about how his family didn’t care and didn’t want him anymore.

“John?”

“You have him?”

“Yeah, take a look at these scans please.  Lack of nutrition and lots of stress, right?  That should mean that we can treat him at home?”  John looked at the data coming in and agreed.  He would have a car meet them at the boat launch and take them straight to the airport.

“Should we be worried about prying eyes?”  Troy asked.  It would be pretty hard to hide Gordon in his condition.

“John’s got it.  This is a case where having some extra money to spend will help.”  Troy nodded.  He guessed it was nice.  Gordon never was one to flaunt his money, but in times like this, it was certainly useful.  “Besides, I’m more worried about the Hood right now.  We need to move fast.”

“Agreed, once you’re gone, I’ll clear out our rooms.  Anything I need to send home for you, or will your brother handle it?”

“Both rooms are cleaned out already, and our bags are in our planes.  Unless you were planning to stay?”  Troy shook his head, staying wouldn’t be very safe.  He momentarily wondered how many times the Tracy boys needed to make a quick escape like this, but those thoughts were interrupted as they arrived at the dock.  A car and a driver were there waiting for them.

“Mr. Tracy.  Mr. Tempest.  Your planes are gassed up and ready to fly.  Not much flying out in the next few hours, so once you taxi, you’ll be cleared for take off.”

“Thank you sir.”  Scott said, as he lifted Gordon into the car.  He had gotten pretty silent towards the end of the ride to the dock.  Scott hoped that it meant that he was sleeping and not unconscious.  His breathing seemed pretty even and his pulse good.  Troy handed over the keys to the boat and joined them in the car.

“Will you be able to get him home by yourself?  He’s nothing but dead weight.”

“Should be.  I’ll use the five point on him, and I can recline the seat some.  It’ll be good enough to get him home.  Once there, I’ll have plenty of help.”

“Will you let me know he’s okay?”  Troy wasn’t sure if he was going to ask that, but the words came out anyway.  Scott nodded as they arrived at the airport.

“Sure can, and Troy…thanks for your help.”

“Of course Scott.  Listen, I know that Gordon and I butt heads…a lot…but he’s a pretty good guy.”  Scott looked down at his baby brother and agreed.  He just wished that their father could see it too.  Explaining all of this was bound to be a major headache.  “What’s on your mind Scott?  Something’s up, I can see it on your face.”  Scott let out a slow breath.

“Our father…”

“Listen, he was overcome and kidnapped while surveying a dying reef, and you didn’t give up on him.  You trusted your gut, followed a flimsy lead, and got him back.  The way I see it, if your dad doesn’t like it, then he can leave.  If anything, this should open his eyes quite a bit.”  Scott shrugged.  They were at the plane now and had to move Gordon again.  Troy didn’t understand their father like they did.  He’d more likely double down, instead of admitting fault or failure.  Scott didn’t have the time or energy to explain it all.

They worked quickly to move Gordon and get him properly secured for the ride home.  Scott and Troy shook hands before Troy walked away to his own plane.  He watched Scott taxi the runway and take off.

–

Jeff was surprised when John called down to explain that Scott was returning early from his trip and that medical needed to be ready upon his arrival.  Virgil knew that it meant that Gordon was with him, but Jeff hadn’t connected the dots.  

“John, what is the nature of the medical emergency?”

“Scott located Gordon.  I’m sending down his scans.  He’s unresponsive at the moment.”  Jeff made no motion to move from his desk.  So, Scott went on this trip to clean up his brother’s mistake.  Jeff thought to himself.  “Father…”

“I heard you John.  I’ll talk to Scott later about lying to clean up his brother’s messes.”  John was fuming mad now.  It wasn’t often that he expressed his anger, but Jeff was about to get an earful.

“Is that what you think?  Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and look at what’s in front of you.  He didn’t run away, and the fact that you ever believed that is just incomprehensible.  He was kidnapped and somehow wound up in the Hood’s clutches.  Oh and by the way, we now know where his temple base is…you’re welcome for that tidbit of information.”  John was out of breath and suddenly very happy that he wasn’t within arms length of his father.  Kyrano had overheard John’s rant.

“Sir.”  Kyrano interrupted Jeff’s thoughts before he could respond to John.  “Your son will need all of our support.  His time with the Hood will have done him much harm, not just physically, but mentally.”  John scoffed when he saw his father start to understand.  The same man that had convinced him that Gordon ran away was now the only one that could convince him otherwise.  Kyrano caught John’s scoff.  He was feeling pretty guilty right now, and he deserved the ire.  Gordon had suffered greatly, because he had given up looking.

Things moved very fast down in medical.  Gordon was dehydrated and needed fluids and nutrition.  In the time that he’d been gone, he had lost a lot of weight.  It was also pretty obvious that he was in pain.  Jeff stood back and let Virgil do his work.  When Scott looked at him, he only glared.  Jeff supposed that he deserved it.

“Let Gordon rest and don’t crowd him.”  Virgil said.  They didn’t have the full picture, but Gordon was in rough shape and would need time to heal.  Jeff took a few steps towards Gordon’s bed, and without realizing what he was doing, Scott stepped between Gordon and Jeff.

“Son, I am going to leave the room.  I’d just like to see him first.”  Scott realized what he had done and stepped aside.  “I’ve already gotten an earful from John.  You can yell at me later too.”  Jeff gave Gordon’s hand a light squeeze before leaving the room.  

“Scott, he knows how much he’s screwed up.  Ease up a little bit please.”  Virgil said.  This kind of stress in the house wasn’t going to help anyone.  

“Quite frankly Virg, I don’t care how much he knows or doesn’t know anymore.”  Virgil understood, but he also knew that the tension would not help Gordon at all.  “Do you think it would be better for him to convalesce here or in Kansas?”  Virgil had been thinking about that too.

“Right now, it’s best not to move him.  Once he wakes, we can talk about it and see how he feels.”  He knew Gordon pretty well, and even he wasn’t sure what Gordon would prefer.  Normally, his sea waters were very healing, but being in this house may not be.  That would be a problem to solve later.  

–

The next morning, Gordon woke up, feeling pretty heavy.  Virgil kept the lights dimmed, trying everything possible to keep his pain at bay.  Gordon realized that he was no longer in his cell, but he didn’t know how or when he was moved.  He felt Virgil’s hand on his shoulder and tried to raise a hand to meet his.

“Take it easy.  You’ve been through quite a bit.”  Gordon managed to be able to point at his throat.  “Ok.  Let’s sit you up, so that you can sip on some water.”  Virgil helped him, being very mindful of his monitors and IV.  Gordon sipped slowly, and the cool water felt nice on his throat.  “If you need anything for pain, just let me know.  I’ve got some stuff in your IV already, but if you need more, I can give you more.”

“Thanks Virg.”  He croaked.  He didn’t really want any more pain medicine.  He wasn’t sure what was in the IV, but he knew how some medicines made him feel like he was standing outside of his own body.  

“Would you like me to keep everyone away for now?”  Gordon wanted to say ‘yes’, but he didn’t know what to think.  He was still trying to figure out how he got home and why he was there.  He looked away from Virgil.  “It’s perfectly okay.  Right now, you need peace and quiet to help you heal.”  Virgil tried to give him some soup and toast to eat.

“No soup…please.”  Virgil didn’t need to be told twice.  He was sure that Gordon would tell him why later, but he didn’t need to know that right now.

“How about some rice?  Wanna try that?”  Gordon shrugged.

“Not really hungry, but sure.”  Virgil saw their father in the kitchen.

“How is he son?”

“He’s going to try to eat a little bit.  I tried to give him some soup, but he kinda freaked out over it.  We’re going to try some rice instead.  Before anyone asks, no visitors for him right now.  Once he’s comfortable with it, I’ll start allowing people to come down.”

“Understood.  Need help with anything.”

“No, thank you Father.”  Virgil got the small bowl of plain rice and brought it down to Gordon.  He helped him eat a few spoonfuls but wouldn’t push too hard.  For now, he had the IV to assist with his nutrition.  Gordon fell asleep soon after Virgil took the bowl away.

A few hours later, there was a soft knock at the door.  Jeff had made it very clear that Gordon was to be left alone until he was ready for visitors, but Scott couldn’t stay away.

“He’s asleep and not up to visitors right now Scott.  He’s barely tolerating me, and that’s only because I’m the one administering his medical treatments.”  Scott understood, but he had to see him with his own eyes.  Virgil sighed.  “Five minutes, and you weren’t down here.  Got it?”

“Got it.”  Scott sat in the chair nearest Gordon’s head and held his hand.  Even though he was asleep, Gordon grasped his hand.  No matter what happened next, Scott knew that he’d be okay.

–

The Hood ignored the alarm notification that he’d received.  Animals liked to come through that door and set it off quite often.  The bots would chase the animal off.  

The meeting in England hadn’t been informative or long.  The big boss simply wanted to see everyone in person, no matter how inconvenient that might be.  It was a power play, nothing more/nothing less.  He didn’t even bother to stay the night, opting to return to his island home right away.

Anger could not describe how the Hood felt when he returned home and realized that Gordon was gone.  He saw the scorch marks on his door, so he knew that someone had come for his prisoner.  It also meant that this hideout was no longer secure.  He decided to deal with that issue first.  

–

“Son, you said that you found the Hood’s hideout?”  Jeff was going to try to make something good happen from all of this.  Before John spoke, he shared the coordinates and pointed it out on a map. 

“Here Father.  I did see a water plane return just a few minutes ago.  I’m sure the Hood will be angry and will probably have to move his hideout.  So, I’m keeping an eye on that area.”

“FAB son.  I’m going to share this with World Security.  Maybe they can get there before he has a chance to leave.”  Jeff made no move to end the call, so they sat there in silence a bit.  “Son, I’m sure you had something to do with Scott finding Gordon.”  He put his hand up to stop John from responding.  “Thank you.  You didn’t give up on him, and I shouldn’t have.  I should have been just as passionate as the two of you.”

“It’s not me that needs to hear your apology Dad.  It’s Gordon.  All these years, you’ve treated him differently than the rest of us.  Nothing he’s done has ever been good enough for you.”  John didn’t speak any further, but he sent his father some photos with red marks on them.  He ended the call before his father could speak.

Alan found Jeff still sitting at his desk.  

“Dad, I brought you some coffee.”  Alan still wasn’t sure what to do.  He knew that Virgil was keeping everyone out of medical, but he felt like he needed to walk on eggshells no matter where he stepped.

“Thank you Alan.  I appreciate it.”  Alan hadn’t yelled at him, or expressed his opinions about the situation, yet.  Jeff figured that Alan felt the same, but he couldn’t say what he really wanted to say.  He might as well let him get it out now.  “Speak your mind son.  No matter what it is, you can say it here.”  Alan sighed.  

“If it was me, Scott, John, or Virgil, would you have given up so easily?”  He had expected Alan to speak his mind, not rip his heart out of his chest.  

“I didn’t give up on him, but I let myself believe that he didn’t really want to be here anymore.  I let myself be angry at him for not talking to me about how he really felt.”  Jeff paused.  “I was wrong, so very wrong.  I can’t fix the mistakes of the past, but I can try to be better moving forward.”  Alan sat down across from him and sighed.

“You do realize that this may have come too late, right?  He’s got a difficult recovery ahead, and when he learns the truth…I’m not sure I’d be able to forgive you if I were in his place.”  And now his heart had been beaten into a pulp and thrown into the fire pit outside.

“I know.  Trust me Alan.  I know.”  Alan left him to drink his coffee alone.  John interrupted his self-loathing to let him know that World Security thanked International Rescue for the tip regarding the Hood’s hideout.  They planned to converge on that location very soon.  Jeff only nodded.

–

“Scott, time’s up.”  As Scott stood to leave, Gordon grabbed his hand tighter.

“Please stay.”  He whispered.  Scott sat back down and looked at Virgil.

“If he says it’s okay, then it’s okay for you to stay Scott.  I’ll keep everyone else out for now.”  Virgil stepped away to give them some privacy.

“I had a dream.  I heard you and Troy talking.”  Scott supposed that he should explain the rescue part of things.

“John figured out where the Hood might be hiding, and we had reasonable proof that you were there with him.  Troy came with me to rescue you.  Normally you’re my military trained back up, but Troy graciously agreed to help.”  Gordon was struggling to remember a lot.  “If you have questions, I can fill you in on some things, but there are many things that we simply don’t know.  When Troy and I flew out there, we knew that there was a rather significant chance that you wouldn’t actually be there.”

“But I was, and you came.  You didn’t give up on me?”

“We did not.  John worked pretty tirelessly, looking for any smidge of evidence.  He did have to hack into your personal email though.  I’m sure he’ll apologize for that later.”

“He’d better.”  Gordon tried to laugh a little.  “That email is private for a reason, and we promised each other that we’d never do that.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he hacked Dad’s phone too.  Not his normal one…the phone.”  Gordon whispered ‘oh’.  “Yeah, so when I say that he worked pretty tirelessly, he really did.  It was Troy who had told us that you might have been seen out in the middle of the Pacific.”  Those memories were pretty clear and rough for Gordon.

“Yea, I had a chance out there, but I didn’t take it.  Something in me just stopped me from opening my mouth.  I don’t know what it was, but looking back on it, what was I going to do if I’d done that?  Do we really think that the Hood would have just let me disembark and go off with another ship?”

“When you put it like that.  No, I don’t think that he would have.  I guess your subconscious was trying to protect you.”  Gordon shrugged.  It didn’t feel like that to him, but he guessed that it made some sense.  “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you need me.”

“I know Scott.  Thanks.  How’s Alan?”

“He lashed out in the beginning, then got really quiet.  He’ll probably need more than a few squid hugs when you’re up to it.”

“And Dad?”  Gordon winced.  He did and did not want to know.

“Well deserving of more than a few punches right now.”  Scott didn’t know how to say the rest.

“I need to know Scott.  I know how he is with me, and I need the truth right now.”  Scott steadied himself before speaking.  

“He sent Kyrano and Parker out to find you, but after a short search, they believed that you had simply run away…And, Dad believed it.”  That hit Gordon pretty hard, and he shut down, refusing to look at Scott anymore.  “No matter what happens next, I want you to know that I will support you and be on your side.  As far as I am concerned, what Dad did was unforgivable.”  Gordon simply squeezed his hand.  It was nice to know that Scott supported him fully.  “Why don’t I let you sleep.  I can come back later, if you want.”

“Thanks Scott.”  Gordon released his hand, but he still wouldn’t look at him.

Scott let Virgil know about the conversation with Gordon.  He was bound to be caught up in his head and emotions.  

“I’m keeping everyone out of here still.  Do you think we need to move him off the island?”

“I didn’t get a chance to ask him Virg, but I think we need to be ready for that possibility.  Either Kansas, or maybe Lady Penelope would be willing to host him for a while?”  Virgil hadn’t thought of that.  It was certainly something worth exploring.

–

Commander Shore stopped by the officer’s lounge to speak with Troy.  It was good that he was the only one in there at the moment.  After the message he received from his commanders, he needed to have a private conversation with his captain, off the record.  

“You know Troy…you could have told me that it wasn’t really a weekend getaway.”

“How do they put it?  Plausible deniability?  Besides, I didn’t go there as a representative of the WASP’s.  I went there at the call of friendship.”  Sam understood all too well.

“You may not have heard, but International Rescue called in a report as to the Hood’s hideout.  Apparently, he’s a wanted man.  World Security is about to converge on his island, and we’re one of a few bases on standby for it.”  Troy looked up at him.  “If I have to dispatch you out there, you’ll behave, right?”  He knew the answer to that question, but he needed to hear it from Troy’s mouth.

“Of course sir.  I’ll make sure he doesn’t trip over his own feet while walking in shackles.”  Commander Shore laughed and almost fell out of his chair.  “In all seriousness though, I do promise to behave.  I don’t know exactly what Gordon endured at his hands, but I’m guessing it was pretty pale compared to the warrants for his arrest from World Security.”

“Probably, now go join your crew.  You’ll be out on patrols, so that if you’re called in, you won’t be terribly far away.”

“PWOR.”  Troy downed the rest of his coffee and headed out as instructed.  

The Hood watched as World Security converged on his temple home, but he wasn’t there anymore.  Sure, they’d find some things, but nothing that would lead them to the new hideout.  He would rebuild, and this time, he would escape his master too.

–

Gordon woke up to find Virgil standing next to him.  He was switching out his IV nutrition bags.

“Hey fish.  How’s the pain?  And please don’t tell me that you have none, I can read your data.”  Gordon let out a snort of derision.  

“I’m at a 6, but I don’t like most of those meds.  You know that.”  

“Yes I do, that’s why I haven’t been using the ones that make you feel like you cannot control your own body.  How’s the back?  We have some of that medicine that helped after your accident, if you’re having rough spasms."  That brought back flashes of memories of the cone snails at the Hood’s hideout.  Virgil saw the wince in his face.  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Cone snails…I’m remembering something about them.”

“Well, it’s their venom in the medicine.  Maybe that’s what you’re remembering?”  Gordon shook his head rather hard, as other flashbacks came through.  

“No, it was with the Hood.  In the beginning, he showed me a tank full of them.  That’s why we were out on the ocean…we were releasing a bunch of them back into the wild.”  It made sense to Virgil.

“He was trying to get on your good side, I bet.  How better to get back at International Rescue than to steal one of its members?”  Gordon supposed that it made sense.  “Lemme get that medicine out of the lockbox.  It won’t hurt to give you a dose.”

“Thanks Virg.  My back is still pretty upset.  I haven’t been able to do my stretches properly in too long.”  Virgil realized that too.  Gordon would need physical therapy to get his body back into proper form.  They could probably do that from the island, but Virgil looked at other options as well, just in case Gordon decided that he couldn’t stay there.  Luckily the medicine didn’t take very long to take the edge off of the pain.  Gordon was able to relax.

“Can I have a little to eat please?  No soup though.  That’s all he gave me.  To be honest, I couldn’t stomach much.  He tried to give me pills for the pain, but they didn’t help as much as I really needed and certainly didn’t keep my nausea at bay.”

“How about a plain grilled cheese?  No butter.  It’ll be kind of bland, but if your stomach’s sour, it should be okay and might even help soak up the yuck.”  Gordon nodded, that sounded pretty good.  Virgil went up to the kitchen to make it for him.

Scott walked in slowly and saw that Gordon was finally eating something substantial.  

“Can I come in?  It’s just me.”

“Of course.  I said so earlier Scott.  You don’t need to tiptoe around me.”  Scott sat down and mumbled an apology.  “I just ask that you be honest and bear with me a bit.  That’s all.”

“You got it.  I’m glad to see you eating.  Stomach’s good?  Hopefully we can get that IV out soon.  I know you hate the thing.”  Scott rambled.  

“Stomach’s fine.  Virgil’s making sure that I have proper medicine.  Not only for my stomach, but for my pain and spasms too.  He hasn’t said anything yet, but I know that I’m going to need physical therapy to help me get back to where I was before.  Somehow I doubt that I’ll be able to do this on my own.”

“If it comes down to that, do you want to stay here or go to Australia or Kansas?”  Gordon had been thinking about that too, ever since Scott told him about their father’s reaction to him going missing.  He really didn’t want to be on the island right now.  At the very least, he needed a break from things, to give him time to think long and hard about everything.  “Just know that, we will support you no matter what.  I really mean it.  You can ask the guys, and they’ll all say the same thing.  Think about what you want, not what you think anyone else expects of you.”

“Thanks Scott.  I think I needed to hear that.”  They spent the next few hours sitting in silence.  Scott sometimes worked on some crosswords, while Gordon mulled over his own thoughts.  It was hard to be selfish, but he knew that he needed to be a little bit selfish right now.  “Australia.”  Gordon said, breaking the silence in the room.

“Australia it is then.  Want me to talk to Virgil and get the apartment ready for you?”

“No.  I’ll talk to him about this please.  It’s my decision, and I should be the one to tell him.”  Gordon was right, and Scott understood.  Gordon reached out to the team that had helped him many times.  He was comfortable with them and knew that they’d be able to help.

About an hour later, they let him know that he could come as soon as he wanted.  They even made arrangements for him to stay there, as that would be easier on his body.  He handed the tablet over to Virgil, so that he could coordinate the medical part of things.  Virgil spoke with them via video call and got his care plan all set.  He was even able to arrange some sessions with his therapist.  Gordon would be gone a week or two to start, but if they saw that he needed more, then he’d stay.

“They will be ready for you tomorrow.  Is that okay?”  Gordon only nodded at him.  “Hey, you can talk to me, you know.”  Gordon sighed and sat up a bit better.

“I’m caught up in my head right now Virg.  I really don’t want to be where I’m not really wanted.  I don’t want to be here.  After everything…”

“Listen, I can only imagine what’s going on in that head of yours.  Please know that your brothers love you.  I’m sure Dad does too, although he has a funny way of showing it.  Whatever happens from here, happens.  We will be here to support you, no matter what.”

“You and Scott reading from the same script?  He said nearly the same thing to me.”  Virgil shrugged.

“Meh, that means that we’re right…right?”  Gordon laughed.  It felt good to really laugh again.  “Would you be okay if Alan popped in real quick?  He’s gotta leave soon for 5 and has been asking about you.”

“Sure.  Thanks by the way for keeping things calm down here.  I don’t think I can handle lots of noise right now.”

“Of course.”

Alan was happy to be able to give him a proper hug.  They kept the conversation light, mainly talking about some research that he planned to do while he had access to John’s telescope.  A local school reached out with some questions about space, so he was going to answer those questions while getting new photos for his research.  

“They also sent over questions about the sea and sealife, if you want to look them over.”  Gordon loved the idea.  Any chance he got to talk about his beloved waters was wonderful.  

“Thanks.  Send them over.  It’ll give me something to do while I’m away for therapy.”  After one last hug, Alan left the room to head to his Thunderbird.  While the house was pretty well soundproofed, Gordon could still feel when Thunderbirds 1 and 3 took off.  No amount of soundproofing could mask the rumbles they make, especially Thunderbird 3.  

–

“Dad, he needs intensive therapy and has made the decision to do it back with the team in Australia that’s helped him before.  That’s it.  It’s his decision, he’s made it, and we will respect it.”  Virgil felt as though he walked into the wrong part of a bad conversation.  “For once, stop thinking of yourself or your image.  This isn’t about you!”

“Okay there Scooter, sit down.”  Virgil intervened.  Whether or not their father deserved their rage, he was still their father and should be afforded some respect.  “Dad, what he means to say is that Gordon will be leaving for a few weeks to help jumpstart his healing.  He needs more therapy than we can offer him here.”  Jeff pinched his nose.  He was not used to taking orders, only giving them.  The fact that this had all been planned without him knowing annoyed him too.

“At some point, was someone going to talk to me about this or ask my opinions?”  Jeff couldn’t hide his annoyance at his sons.

“No.”  John answered.  He had just gotten back from his tour of duty.  Normally, he’d head straight for some rest, but he heard the commotion too.  “This isn’t your decision or anything you can influence or control.  He needs comfort and support.  The last thing he needs is to feel like you just want to hold him back, forever wrapped in bubble wrap.”

“Okay…okay.  I’d like to speak to Gordon before he leaves, if he’s okay with that.”  Virgil promised to ask for him, but he was asleep right now.  Jeff wasn’t sure what to think of these newfound attitudes from his sons.  

After dinner, Gordon said that it was okay that his father could come down for a short visit.  He wasn’t sure why he had said yes, but he supposed that they needed to talk a little bit before he left for Australia.

Jeff sat down in the chair next to him and tried to keep the conversation light.  Gordon wasn’t sure what to say, so he kept his answers short.  He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do once he was done with therapy, but he figured that he could think about that while he was away.  He showed Jeff the school project that Alan had shared with him.

“These kids are wonderful.  Look at these questions!  It’s hard to believe that they’re in elementary school.”  Gordon was in his element with this.  Jeff could see the joy all over his face.

“They are, and you’ll do really well with it.  Maybe you can visit them or take them along on one of your research missions?”  That was a thought.  “First things first though, let’s get you healthy again.”

“Yea, health first.”  Gordon paused, unsure if he should even ask the question on his mind.  “Would you be mad if I stepped back from International Rescue and found work elsewhere?”  

“While I’m happy that all of you chose to help with my dream, I meant what I said all those years ago.  It’s your choice, and I will support you no matter what.  If you think that stepping down from IR is what you need or want, then that’s it.  If you wanted to stay on part time, we could work that out too, but this is a future discussion.  Okay son?  For now, you need to focus on healing, and Australia is the best place for that.  Not only do you know and trust those providers, but they’ll be able to give you the time, structure, and care you need.  If you stayed here for your rehabilitation, your recovery would very likely be much longer.  Your brother’s a wonderful medic, but you need specialized care.”

“Thanks Dad.  I’ll have a lot to think about while away.”

“Of course, son.  Now, rest.  Scott and Virgil will be taking you in the morning.”  Jeff turned down the lights when he left, and Gordon fell asleep quickly.  Scott was waiting outside of the room.  “He’s asleep, Bluejay.  You should go to bed too.  You wouldn’t want to fly while tired tomorrow.”  He got a good look at his father as he spoke and walked away.  Jeff looked worn and tired.  Scott chose not to follow him.  He wasn’t sure what to make of his father right now.  They all had made their opinions known, but Jeff hardly reacted to any of it.  He peeked in on Gordon and saw that he was asleep and then went up to the lounge to join John and Virgil. 

–

“Your phone’s been buzzing Scott.”  John said as he walked into the room.  “It’s probably the same message I got from Troy.  Wanna watch?”

“Watch?”  He looked at the message from Troy.  “Ohhhh.”

“Yeah, watch.  I can put it up on the screen if you want.”  John brought it up for them, and they had a front row seat to the raid of the Hood’s island hideout.  The Hood was nowhere to be found, but they came across a lot of evidence that tied him to open cases that they knew about and others that they were unaware that he had any involvement with.  

Kyrano walked through the lounge and saw the boys watching the raid.  He came in just as World Security entered the Hood’s personal shrine.  He’d never seen the large, gold statue before, but it bore an eerie resemblance to himself.  As it was toppled and shattered, he felt a weird pull on his mind, then comfortable silence.  It had been years since his mind felt this much at peace.

The Hood watched too, from his new hideout.  He was less than pleased that his temple was being destroyed and felt the connection with his half brother break completely.  One day…one day I shall have it all, and I’ll be the master.  He would rebuild.  His current master would not be happy with today’s events, but he would rebuild stronger than ever before without any master to hold him back.

“Boys, Kyrano, it’s late.  Busy day tomorrow.”  Jeff said, interrupting their thoughts.  

“The Hood got away, but they were able to raid his hideout and get concrete proof of his involvement in many cases.  Some of them they didn't even know he had a part in them.”  Virgil answered.  “But, you’re right.  We need sleep for our flight tomorrow.”  He quickly checked on Gordon before heading to his own bed.  

Scott had trouble shutting down.  He should feel like some big weights have been lifted off of his shoulders, but somehow they still felt heavy.  It took a bit, but he finally fell into a light sleep a few hours later.  

The next morning came too soon.  John was combing through the reports from World Security, Kyrano had a very old bounce back in his step, and Gordon was ready to really start healing again.  He chatted with Virgil as the IV was taken out.

“I barely slept last night.  Not sure about you big brother.”

“It was a long night, that’s for sure.  World Security continued the raid on his temple.  He’s obviously long gone, but as they found more rooms, they found more evidence.  It’s going to take them a very long time to go through it all and tie each item to a specific case.”

“Oh wow.  I didn’t realize he was that level of bad.  Guess I don’t pay enough attention to the most wanted lists.”  Gordon picked at his breakfast.  “I’ve been thinking of what I’ll do after I get out of rehab.  I think I want to focus on my research and environmental conservationism.  I’d like to still pilot Thunderbird 4, but only that for International Rescue.”

“That sounds fair to me.  Your knowledge and expertise deserve to be shared.  I think you’ll do many great things for our seas.”  Gordon nodded his head and shrugged slightly.

“I don’t know how to tell Dad.  I mean, does he even care?”

“I care.”  Came Jeff’s voice from the door.  “I care more than anyone realizes.  Your plan sounds good to me.  If that’s what you want to do, you’ll have my complete support.”  Gordon and Virgil were caught by surprise.  It took a few moments for the words to register in Gordon’s brain.  

“Thanks Dad.  It’s not my final decision yet, but I’m pretty sure that’s what I’m going to want to do.”  He had it in his head that this conversation was going to be so much harder than it really was.  He wasn’t sure what to say right now.  As he thought about the conversation between him and his father, he thought about all of these elaborate retorts.  In the end, none of them were needed.  Jeff simply nodded to his reply.

“Safe travels today.  We’ll see you home soon Gordon.”  Jeff gave his shoulder a good squeeze before leaving the room.

“And you were worried, Fish.”  Virgil said in gest.  “Let’s get you up to the plane.  I’m sure Scott’s doing her preflight already for us.  Got your bag ready?”  Gordon pointed at it.  “Do you feel strong enough to walk?”  He shook his head.

“No chair, just stay near please.”  He was determined to walk the distance to the hangars.  His legs may not want to cooperate very well, but he would do it…one slow step at a time.  Virgil saw the determination in his eyes.  He picked up Gordon’s bag and stayed near, just as Gordon asked.

Scott was not surprised to see Gordon walk into the hangar.  He knew his fish brother was far too stubborn.  Scott helped him into the plane while Virgil stowed his bag.  It would be a short hop over to the mainland, and the rehab had arranged transportation for them from the airport.  Scott looked around the hangar and noticed that Jeff was not there.  He sighed.

“What is it Scott?  I know that look and don’t like it.”  Gordon asked.

“Nothing.  Don’t worry about it.  Let’s get going.”  Gordon wanted to push him, but he also didn’t want any issues in the air with an angry pilot.  

They helped get Gordon settled into his room.  Some of the staff that had treated him previously were still there and made it a point to stop by to say hi.  Gordon shooed everyone away, a short while later, so that he could get a nap.  Too many visitors at once was a bit too much for him.  On the flight home, Scott vented.

“He wasn’t there!  I was so stupid to think that after last night he was starting to change!”  Virgil let him get it all out of his system  Once it was out, then he could talk to rational Scott.  Virgil took control of the plane and let Scott do what he needed to do.  After about 15 minutes, Scott calmed.  “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize Scott.  I’m always here to lend an ear if you need it.  As for Dad, I don’t get it either.  This should have been a turning point, but I don’t think he gets it.”  Scott shook his head.  He knew that his father didn’t understand how bad this really was.  Neither one knew what to do from here, but they had to get back home.  John was the only one there to run callouts for International Rescue.  “Let’s just get home for now.  Whatever happens from here, happens.”

–

Jeff watched Tracy 1 take off from his desk.  He had spent hours agonizing over his decision, but it was what was best for his boys and International Rescue.  Some time apart would help them.  After some time, he hoped that they would understand and forgive.

“She’s ready sir.  Are you sure about this?”  Kyrano asked.  Jeff had asked Kyrano to stay behind on the island, even after he had asked to accompany him back to Kansas.

“No, but I don’t deserve to be here.  I need to work through this, and I can’t do that from this house.  It’ll be alright, you’ll see.”  Kyrano nodded his head and walked with him down to the hangar where they stored their other plane.

“Safe travels Jeff.”  Kyrano shook his hand and watched him fly off.  Virgil and Scott should be arriving soon, so Jeff made sure to fly so that they wouldn’t see him.  John saw him leave and called his brothers.

“Dad left.”

“He what?  Do we know why?”  Scott and Virgil were confused.  Their father wasn’t needed anywhere anytime soon.  So, there was no reason to leave the island right now.

“Not a clue.  I’m going to see if he’s left a note or something.  Something’s off.”  

“Agreed.”  Scott replied.  “Let us know if you find anything before we get home.  We should be touching down in about 10 minutes.”  

John checked his room first.  It appeared that he had packed for a long trip and some things were in boxes.  Kyrano entered and started to fill another box.

“What’s going on Kyrano?  Why are Dad’s things being packed into boxes?”  Kyrano didn’t answer.  Instead, he walked to the desk in the corner of the  room and pulled out a handwritten note.  He handed it to John, then continued the packing.  John read it quickly, then walked down to the hangars to meet Scott and Virgil as they landed.

“Well, this answers our questions.”  John handed the note over.  “He seems to think that leaving will solve the problems here at home.”  John and Virgil watched the emotions roll across Scott’s face.  “Should we chase him?  This isn’t how things are going to get solved here.”

“No.”  Scott whispered.  “Not now.  Let him have his space.  He made things very clear.  International Rescue and the island are ours.”

“Scott,” Virgil said.  “Listen, I know that him not being here might be nice for a little while, but it’s not the solution to our problems.  We need to talk this out properly.  I get giving him some space for now, but I think we need to chase after him and drag him back home.  He’s hiding from his problems, instead of confronting them head on.”  Scott knew that he was right, but he really didn’t want to take that action quite yet.  

They called Alan and Gordon and filled them in.  Everything else would stay the same, save for their father being absent.  Scott planned to take over base operations, with John’s help.  He was the best at the reports, after all.  The boys agreed to give their father 2 weeks.  Hopefully by that time, Gordon will be well enough to return home, then they could go to Kansas and confront Jeff.  Alan wanted to go along too, but he would have to stay up on Thunderbird 5 for a few more weeks.  He had to settle being there virtually.  Scott promised not to keep him out of things.

–

2 weeks later, Gordon was ready to come home.  The plan was to pick him up in Thunderbird 2, then they would fly with Thunderbird 1 to Kansas.  The ranch was plenty big enough to store them for a short while, and they had used it for training in the past.  During these two weeks, Jeff had not reached out at all.  They knew that he was still working, as they saw the Tracy Industries communications, but he never called the island.  

“Let’s do this.”  With that simple command, they set off.  If International Rescue was needed, they’d respond from Kansas.  Virgil made sure to pack the pod with the most likely equipment needed for most types of callouts.  Worse comes to worse, he’d have to divert to the island before responding.  

They knocked and entered their old ranch home.  Jeff was cooking in the kitchen and didn’t acknowledge them when they entered.  The four of them simply sat at the kitchen table and waited for him to say something.

“I’m not sure why you came out here boys.”

“Running from our problems won’t solve them.”  Scott answered quickly.  Jeff removed everything from the heat and shook his head.

“No, it won’t, but sometimes space helps.  There’s a lot going on up here.”  He said, pointing to his head.  “And, I’m still trying to work through it all.  I know it pales in comparison to everything else, but I can’t take care of anyone else without taking care of myself.  That’s why I’m here.”  They all understood, although they would have rather tried to tackle this together.  “You look much better Gordon.  How do you feel?”  He said, trying to divert attention away from himself.

“They are a teaching hospital and are testing new physical therapies and surgeries.  I’m feeling much better than I’ve felt in years.  In 6 months, I’m going back for spinal surgery.  If all goes well, it’ll be like my accident never happened.”  Everyone smiled at that.  “In the meantime, I’m going to focus on my research in the South Pacific.  That’ll allow me to be close enough to home, so that if International Rescue needs me, Virgil can just come pick me up.”

Jeff went back to his pantry and made enough food for all of them to eat.  He still wasn’t going to come home, but it would be good to sit with them for a little while.

“That’s all very good to hear Gordon.  We’ve been waiting to see those medical advancements.”  His face turned sad, and he sighed.  “Boys…I know that I could have handled this so much better.  I gave up when I shouldn’t have, and I’m glad that you all went behind my back.  I’m always too worried that you’ll break again Gordon.  Seeing you after the accident…it made me face a lot…seeing you kidnapped and rescued has made me face even more.  I just need time, I’m not sure how long, but eventually, I hope you’ll all allow me to come back home.”

Gordon was the first one to get up and hug Jeff.  Their father was trying.  He was imperfect, saw the imperfections, and was trying to make himself better.  Virgil and John followed next.  Scott stood, but he couldn’t hug the man in front of him.  He needed to see actions, not hear words.

“I can hear those wheels turning Scott, and you’re right.  Right now, I deserve nothing from any of you.  I hope I can improve myself enough to prove to all of you that I am better…that I’ve learned from my mistakes.”  Scott only nodded.  Only time would tell.