Slow motion. Time-lapse. Everything moved so slowly. So slowly.

He saw Scott falling. Moving further away. Shoes slipping over the edge of the gantry. Even the sound was magnified, the friction of rubber-soled tennis shoes screeching across metal echoed in the cavernous underground hangar. It overpowered his senses, like watching a car wreck you know is going to happen but are powerless to stop.

His feet didn't move fast enough. His arms pumped, his muscles strained in their effort to get there in time. Scott's eyes were round, wide, in disbelief as his face burned into Virgil's mind. Disbelief that Virgil was alive, well and there. Disbelief that he'd lost his balance. Disbelief that he'd caught the railing only to have it slip away.

Disbelief that he was falling to his death.

No words. No voices. One moment of eye contact, silent words passing between them so fast neither could hope to process it all. Scott's mouth opened in shock, in surprise. But no words. No words.

Virgil was six feet away. He sprang from the balls of his feet, flying through the air like a panther pouncing on its prey. A loud OOF! as he slammed down onto the gantry. It rattled, shaking beneath his weight as he bounced once, the upper half of his chest coming down and sliding painfully over the gantry's edge. Arms stretched, fingers grabbing blindly for their target. Reaching for the life about to be lost.

One thing grabbed. One small thing, and the gantry bounced as a second man's weight bore down upon it. Virgil opened his eyes, sweat dropping from his forehead into the unseen depths below. All he had in his hand...the hand that could compose concertos and make the most accomplished pianist cry...the hand that could bring complex watercolors and oil paintings on velvet come to life with vivid imagery...all it now held was a shoelace.

Scott swayed back up toward the bottom of the platform, then back out toward the middle of the hangar. The shoelace came untied and he dropped another few inches. The gantry bounced and clattered. Virgil bared his teeth as his left hand strained to reach something more solid.

A single string. All that stood between life and death for the man who was born to carry on the Tracy dynasty. The man who so many times had been in this same situation, only as rescuer and victor, not as one hanging precariously to life. By a thread. A single, white cotton thread.

Life. Death.

He couldn't reach. Could get anything. Scott was too far down. Too far. Gingerly he inched forward. The gantry remained steady beneath him. More sweat falling. Onto Scott's shoe, his bare legs, his shorts. Into the ether. Muscles bulged as he pulled his right arm up with all his might. Up...still short...one more inch...up higher...

Thought began registering again. Not good.

Only another inch.

What if the lace breaks?

Almost got you.

What if it slips from my hand?

I can almost reach.

What if the shoe comes off?

Praypraypraypraypraypray...

He could feel the leather of the tennis shoe. Only fingertips. Feeling, unable to grasp. A few centimeters would do it. Lift with the right. Scoot slightly forward. Painful, metal digging into his ribcage. Pain didn't matter. Pain from a gantry was nothing compared to the pain of Scott falling...falling...

He heaved the right arm, and finally...at last...grasped Scott's ankle. Firm hold.

Got the ankle, got the ankle.

He didn't weigh as much as Virgil, but he was still heavy enough to make pulling him up more than just a little difficult. Virgil finally let go of the shoelace and tried grabbing Scott's other leg, but it was bent and he could not reach it.

Not out of the woods yet.

Suddenly something grabbed his wrist. Surprised, he looked down and slightly under the platform on which he lay. Only to find his brother's cobalt blue eyes looking right back at him. Bad arm still in a sling, Scott had only this one hand to cling to life with.

Got you. Got you.

He twisted his hand around, clasping Scott's firmly.

Yes. Got you.

With a grunt, Virgil hauled his upper body...along with most of Scott...up as he made it to his knees. And with one final burst of energy, he yanked Scott right up over the edge, throwing him back along the walkway. It clattered and bounced. Clatter, clatter, clatter...clatter...clatter...

No noise. No voices. Complete and total silence. The two stared at one another. Had it really happened? Had Scott just...had he almost died just now? Virgil swallowed hard. Whatever else it had done, the near-miss had sobered his brother considerably.

Finally, a whisper in the dim light surrounding them. It echoed as loudly as the sneaker squeak had.

"Virgil?"

He rose to his feet and closed the single foot of space separating them. "Scott," he said, reaching down and offering his hand.

Scott took it and Virgil pulled him to his feet. For a moment, neither could speak, lost in the moment, in the what-ifs, in the tragedy that had almost been the end, not of one...but of two lives.

Virgil saw it so clearly. Standing out in thin air as Scott fell...just like he had now. Reaching out, his arms going right through him. Helpless. Nothing he could do.

But this time, there had been. This time, he had kept it from happening.

No broken body at the bottom of the hangar. No twisted mass of flesh and bone. No blood.

Two Scotts. One gone. One right here in front of him. "Scott," he whispered, then moved forward and wrapped his arms around him, mindful not to squeeze the ribs and arm too hard. "I couldn't lose you again."

Perplexed, exhausted, in pain and more grateful than he could express, Scott could do nothing but lean into the hug, returning it with as much strength as he could muster before going limp in his brother's arms.

"What on...Jeff, what do you mean, Scott's missing?"

"Virgil said he knew where he was, and disappeared in this...what the hell was that thing?"

"Did it perhaps resemble a white ball of light and make an awful lot of noise?"

His eyes widened. "Yes. It did. But how did you know that?"

"That's the portal, Jeff, the one the arm device opens. Doorway to another dimension. And, apparently, a way to travel between places in this dimension according to the Hood."

"But Scott wouldn't have been in the other dimension."

"No. Which means Virgil must have believed him to be somewhere far enough away that the only option for reaching him in time involved travel using Gaat's device."

Jeff looked at Penelope. Penelope looked at Jeff. Their minds clicked and they spoke in unison. "Tracy Island."

There was no concept of the passage of time. Virgil had lifted his unconscious brother and taken him to their island's version of a hospital, carefully checking the life sign monitors on the wall above the bed. He seemed to be all right as far as Virgil could tell, but he knew he needed Brains on hand to make sure of that fact. And so he would place a shore-to-ship call. But not from the hospital. He didn't want to wake Scott.

He felt so juvenile. So strange. As he made his way out of the hospital ward and toward the elevator that would take him to the main floor of the villa, he mused that maybe the reason he felt infantile was because in a way, he was a newborn.

After all, he'd come back to his body from having been gone...how long? A few days? A week? A month? He had no idea. He didn't even know how long he stood there on the gantry holding Scott after he passed out. Time just didn't mean anything anymore. He remembered Kyrano...his Kyrano, not the sultan...once saying that souls who were waiting to be born into a new life existed on the plane of souls until their time had come. Sort of...floating there. Waiting.

In essence, that's what Virgil had been doing. Existing on some plane waiting for his time to come. He'd entered his body, just like a soul enters its new body. He was afraid to think the term "born again" due to the religious connotation it had even in 2030, but truly, that's what he'd been. Born a second time.

How many men ever got to experience that? Sure, there were near-death experiences all the time. Virgil himself could count five times he thought he'd had one. But to spend that much time outside your body, completely outside your own dimension, living a whole other life deprived of everything...he shook his head as the elevator deposited him in the hall just outside the Lounge. Walking slowly into the room, he couldn't help but glance up at the row of portraits one more time.

Yep. I'm still there.

He wondered if he'd ever get over this. Hell, he wondered if Scott would ever get over this. Thunderbirds One and Two were destroyed. If this Scott's condition were the same as...he squeezed his eyes shut...Scott had some broken ribs and a broken arm. He shouldn't have been out of the hospital, he'd been drinking and was probably exhausted.

He thought I was dead.

No wonder he'd been out on the gantry. Undoubtedly mourning the loss of his precious rocket plane, drowning sorrow in a pool of amber liquid. Trying to forget how close he'd come...how close their father had come...and how Virgil was just plain gone. The look in those eyes had said it all out there in One's hangar. Eyes that accused him of ever having had the nerve to leave his older brother in the first place. Virgil could well imagine Scott chiding himself for that thought, then moving on insatiable curiosity as to where Virgil had gone, what had become of him. And how he'd gotten back, not only to them, but to the island. To One's hangar. But thoughts of explanations would have fled as the horror of his current situation had begun to sink in.

Those were the eyes Virgil couldn't forget. He'd seen them in the other Scott...and, for a brief time, in this one. Something one rarely saw in the eyes of Scott Jefferson Tracy.

Fear.

He couldn't help the shiver that ran up and down his spine as he seated himself at Jeff's desk and turned to face the console behind it where a vidphone sat silently waiting. First, Tracy Six. Then, his father. Then, Alan.

Then...bed.

For the first time since Two had been fired on, Virgil Tracy actually felt tired.

But as his hand moved to make the first connection, he wondered if he'd ever be able to sleep again.

"This is, ah, Tracy Six. Come in, please."

"Brains, this is Virgil. I need you back on the island double-quick."

"Virgil!" Penny exclaimed as she and the others gathered in a semi-circle around Brains.

"What, ah, what's happened, Virgil?"

"Well, Scott's here, he checked himself out of the hospital and he had a near-miss, but seems to be all right. All the same, I'd like you to have a look at him."

"O-Okay, Virgil. We'll head back to the island. Have you informed, ah, Mr. Tracy?"

"I was going to call him next. Thanks, Brains."

"F.A.B. Tracy Six out."

"He's back in our dimension," Ruth breathed. "Thank the stars for that."

"Yes," Penelope nodded as she watched Brains kick Six's engines into high gear. "I wonder what happened with Scott."

"The near-miss, milady?"

"Yes, Parker."

Ruth grimaced. "If I know that grandson of mine, he probably re-broke his arm or something."

"Oh, dear, I do hope that's not the case." Penelope looked around at her fellow passengers. "I'm afraid these last few days have taken their toll on us all. Brains, if you and Parker don't mind, I believe Mrs. Tracy and I should try and rest. It will be several hours before we near the island."

"O-Okay, Lady Penelope."

"Chalk it up to spent nerves if you will, I just don't think any of us should be anywhere alone on this ship. Kyrano and Tin-Tin are together, and Mrs. Tracy and I will bunk in the same quarters. We shall return in a few hours' time to allow you both some rest as well."

"Thank you, milady."

With that the women left the bridge, completely unaware of a second call being received in one of the yacht's bedrooms.

"Badan, my old friend. How did you find me?"

"I knew you to be affiliated with Jeff Tracy, and when I put in the call, one of his sons forwarded me to you."

"What is happening?" Kyrano asked. "I know you would not call me without reason."

"Gaat's dead, Meor." Badan studied his old acquaintance's face. "You do not seem surprised by this news."

"How do you know of his death?"

"We have nothing solid, such as a body, but informants within his organization indicate he lost contact several days ago and has not resurfaced. Even his closest confidantes say he should have been in touch no later than yesterday. His silence, in our minds, equates him being gone for good."

"Why do you tell me this?"

"I have contacted you on a matter most urgent, Meor."

"Please continue."

"Without Gaat's influence, without him attempting to block the rise of the royal bloodline to power, the people want the throne's rightful heirs reinstated."

Kyrano's jaw dropped as he cast a glance across the room to where his daughter lay asleep. He turned back to face the vidphone. "Surely there are other princes in line who are much more qualified than I."

Badan shook his head. "No, Meor. You are the last with pure blood. You, and your daughter, are the rightful...and only...heirs to the throne of Sarawak."

Kyrano closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. "They cannot all be dead, Badan."

"But they are. Your half-brother either had them killed or killed them himself. You are all that remains, and the people and government even beyond Sarawak are asking for a return to the old ways. There is great unrest in Malaysia and in those countries surrounding us, Meor. And in your heart, I know you still love our state and country."

Kyrano bowed his head. His friend spoke the truth. He just never thought the day would come. Here he was being confronted with the one thing he had never planned for. Now, of all times, when Jeff needed his counsel the most. In the aftermath of so much death and destruction, both personally and professionally, he knew Jeff would be counting on his presence.

You have a duty. The words echoed in his mind.

Finally he looked Badan in the eyes. "My daughter and I will visit and meet with the government. That is all I can promise."

He nodded, then frowned. "They do not know you are a prince, do they, Meor?"

"No. They do not."

"Why have you not told them?"

"It was not important. There were more than enough in line ahead of me. It never occurred to me I would be called upon."

"Well, you are being called upon. Of course, you can always abdicate, but think of Sarawak's future. Think of Malaysia's future. Think of your daughter, and what this would mean for her."

"I will, Badan. As soon as we have reached home, I will make arrangements to travel there."

"Be well, Meor."

"Be well."

Kyrano switched off the vidphone and leaned back in the chair, his mind churning, his gut twisting. He couldn't become sultan of Sarawak. He was loyal to Jeff, to the entire Tracy family. How could he leave them now?

Yes, but you are also a prince, his inner voice reminded him. You have a duty to fulfill.

"What is Tin-Tin going to say?" he wondered, recalling their earlier conversation about Alan. "What am I going to do?"

"You know, Mr. Tracy, you're going to need some serious cover."

"Cover? What're you talking about, Cook?"

"Well, think about it. Here's Jeff Tracy injured. Here's almost every one of his sons injured. And lo and behold, International Rescue's out of business because someone shot down their Thunderbirds." Ned watched as realization dawned on Jeff's face. "Doesn't take a rocket scientist, you know."

"Damn," Jeff swore softly, brow furrowed. "I guess someone might put two and two together."

"Well, I am a media expert."

Jeff looked up. Cocky and self-assured, Ned Cook was never Jeff's idea of someone who'd be let into the International Rescue fold or the Tracy fold, for that matter. Reporters were dangerous to both entities, especially someone like Ned. Yet he seemed to understand now why he couldn't divulge their identities to the world. But what about after the crises had passed? What if Ned suddenly got a burr up his ass to do the world's biggest story? He could so easily turn against them, could so easily blackmail them.

But was Ned Cook that kind of man? At his very core, was he the type of person who would do that to Jeff? To his family? To the world?

"You're wondering about my angle, aren't you?"

Jeff nodded. "I am."

"I guess for the first time in my life I don't have one, Tracy. I wanted the Hood, but according to what Virgil said earlier, the Hood's somewhere I can't get to him unless I hijack that thing from his arm, which I have no intention of doing."

"So why help cover us on this? What's in it for you?"

He shrugged. "I still get two big stories. On the one hand, I've got Tracy Corporation. On the other, I have International Rescue. It'll be awfully easy for me to separate church and state to the masses."

"But what about your fellow reporters? Both broadcast and print?"

Ned grinned. "I have contacts. I have influence. And I have the scoop. I'll be the expert they're coming to. I can put any kind of spin on this I want."

"You know, Cook, it frightens me how easy it is to give misinformation to the public."

"Good thing for you, though, isn't it?"

Jeff made a face. Yes, it was good for him, but it somehow left a bad taste in his mouth. Still, at this point, he knew that alienating Ned Cook could be extremely dangerous for them all. He had little choice. Ned had him over a barrel, and he suspected the savvy reporter knew it. He didn't feel any ill will from the man, but what he wouldn't have given to have Kyrano there to confirm or refute that feeling. A shadow of pain passed over his face at the thought of his dead friend, but he quickly pushed it aside.

"All right. I'll enter into this on one condition." Ned nodded, but remained silent. "I want to know what you're going to say before you say it."

"You're not my editor, Tracy."

"No, but this is my family we're talking about here. My family and thousands of my employees. What I say goes."

Ned studied Jeff's face for a moment before responding. "Okay, you've got yourself a deal. I'm going to take Adi and set her up in a hotel. Then I'll get to work on my first story. I'll be back in about three hours."

"Right," Jeff replied as Ned turned to leave. He still wasn't sure about the arrangement, but he knew he had little choice but to wait and see what Cook came up with before he passed judgment on him. After all, Ned himself had been captured by the Hood and left to die. Not to mention the fact that Adi was carrying Gaat's child. The thought sent chills down Jeff's spine. He couldn't imagine how Adi and Ned must be feeling about that.

Before he could take that line of thought any further, the vidphone next to his bed rang. Comfortable now that he'd been given a few painkillers, Jeff reached over and twisted it around to face him with little discomfort. "This is Jeff Tracy." A picture came through, the face in it startling him. "Virgil!"

"Hi, Father."

"Virgil, where...are you on the island?"

"Yes. I've got Tracy Six headed back here fast as she can go."

"Why?" he asked, sitting up straighter in bed. "Is it Scott?"

"He'll be okay, Dad. He had a close call, but I think he's all right. Just want Brains here to confirm it."

"Close call?"

"I'm starving and exhausted, Dad. Can we talk about it later?"

Jeff looked...really looked...at his son's face and realized perhaps it was Virgil he should be worrying about more than Scott right now. Virgil's eyes were bloodshot, his complexion much paler than it should've been. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, but without knowing in detail what had happened between the time Two had crashed and now, he had no way of understanding not only what kind of shape Virgil was in, or how he might be feeling.

"Sure, son," he finally said. "I guess I'm just so full of questions about everything..."

"I know, Dad. And I promise I'll tell you everything, but right now I just need to sleep. I'm going to give Alan a call first, let him know I'm back and everything. I'll be in the hospital ward if you need me."

"Is that where you have Scott?" Off Virgil's nod, he sighed. One headstrong son who was injured but refused proper medical treatment, another who'd been missing for a good week's time and was hopping in and out of other dimensions, apparently. "Well, all of us are being released tomorrow, Virgil, so we'll be joining you on the island, probably in the afternoon."

"Okay, Dad. You have anyone to fly you back here?"

"No."

"I suppose I could bring Two—" A look of pain crossed Virgil's face ever-so-briefly and Jeff's heart went out to him. He knew how much he loved Thunderbird Two as much as he knew Scott loved Thunderbird One. He himself had been avoiding thinking about the lost 'birds; he couldn't imagine how Scott and Virgil both must've been feeling.

Virgil cleared his throat and started again, his face back to normal. "I think Parker and I could bring a couple of the jets to get you home. There isn't enough room in just one for all of you."

"I'd really appreciate it, son. Just get some rest. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure, Dad." Virgil hesitated, just looking at his father.

Jeff looked right back at him, trying...and failing...to read the look on his face. "Virgil? What is it?"

His son swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing up and down before he answered. "It's just...you have no idea how good it is to be able to talk to you, Dad."

Jeff half-smiled and half-frowned. He didn't understand where it was coming from, but knew that now was not the time to ask. Besides, he was feeling much the same way about Virgil after having not been able to find him at the crash site, after wondering all this time if he was dead or alive...he finally let himself smile full-out.

"It's good to be able to talk to you too, son. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Jeff settled back into his bed as the connection was severed. What exactly had happened to Virgil? It was clear from what Penny had told him that he'd been picked up not too long after the crash by that fishing vessel Kanoa. It was also clear he'd been unconscious the entire time they'd had him. But this dimension hopping that Gaat and Virgil had been doing made no sense at all to Jeff. What was in that other dimension? He'd witnessed with his own eyes Virgil disappearing into...what had Penny called it...a portal? His son had just "appeared" and then "disappeared" in some big white ball of light that was noisier than a jet on takeoff.

All things considered, Jeff knew he was a lucky man. He'd kept his life when by rights he should've died. His sons had all survived, rather strangely in some cases. Kyrano...a sharp pain jabbed through his chest at the thought of his friend and confidante. Jeff supposed Kyrano was probably his best friend, though he'd always been so much more than that. When Penelope had told him Kyrano had died saving Tin-Tin's life...he'd felt his stomach just drop.

Kyrano couldn't be gone. He couldn't, dammit – it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He needed him now more than ever. It wasn't that long ago that Jeff himself had been only half a man, his mind refusing to recover from what had happened in Manhattan and what had almost happened to Virgil in Orlando. Then top it all off with the Hood attacking International Rescue...he closed his eyes as the scene replayed so vividly in his mind.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he circled Two's crash site. Never in his life did he think he'd see that sight. Not being able to raise his sons, not knowing if they were alive or dead. It had been without a moment's hesitation that he'd dove in there. And to find them all alive...he remembered how elated he'd been, then how everything had turned for the worse when the 'bird had flipped.

His heart rose in his chest. Trying to get them out of there before they drowned. And that split second when he fell...

Scott! No, I've killed my son! I've killed my son!

Seeing John just lying there unconscious back in the sick bay.

John! God, don't let him be gone...

Scott strapped to the bed.

Is he...?

Gordon, upside down, strapped tightly to his seat.

Oh, Gordon, my son, thank God.

But the pilot's chair was gone. And there was no one else in the cockpit but Adi and Ned.

Virgil! Where's Virgil?

"VIRGIL!"

Can't find him, he's not here. Have to get John out. Have to get Scott out.

"VIRGIL! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Can't look now, have to get the ones I can find out of here. Got John out. Got Ned out. Got Adi out. Only Gordon and Scott left. Have to get Scott out, the water's rising!

"Okay, we're almost out now, boys."

But that water...there isn't enough time! Not enough time! I have...I have to choose. I have to choose...no...no, I can't. Both. I'll get both.

Too much rushing. Had to be reckless to get both out. Gordon first.

I chose Gordon first.

Scott's the eldest. He would've done the same. If it had been me and Gordon, he would've done the same.

But I chose Gordon.

Had to. No choice. Commander faces these choices every day. Scott understands.

But Scott almost died.

So did I.

Jeff opened his eyes and looked around the hospital room decked out in every shade and type of flower imaginable. Numerous cards and letters, surprisingly enough, from the family members of the employees lost in the Tracy Tower collapse.

"It doesn't seem fair," he said softly. "They lost their loved ones, but somehow, for some reason, I got to keep mine." Survivor guilt. Jeff settled back into the pillows again. He knew his mind would not be resting any time soon.

Alan frowned. Tracy Island was calling? Who the hell was on the island? "This is Thunderbird 5 receiving you, Base." His eyes bugged out of his head when a single face filled his video monitor. "Virgil?"

Virgil grinned. "Bingo."

"My God, where are—what happened? Are you home?"

"Yeah, Al, I'm home. I just wanted to let you know that Scott and I are both here. Tracy Six is on its way back so Brains can have a look at both of us."

"But...But...Virgil, what happened? Where have you been?"

"Later, Al. I need some sleep, okay?"

"No, but—"

"Al. Later. Okay?"

Alan frowned in consternation. "Fine. Later. Dammit."

Virgil chuckled. "Don't worry, I have a feeling you'll be coming home soon. We've got a lot of work to do, and you're not going to get out of it that easily."

Alan made a face. "You just show up out of nowhere and you're still busting my ass."

"Always, Rocket Man."

Laughing, Alan said, "You owe me one helluva explanation, Virg. Five out."

"I'll be a sonofabitch," Alan whispered, still staring at the now-blank screen. His mind raced with unanswered questions, but Virgil really had looked like hell, otherwise he wouldn't have let him off the line before he'd gotten some damn good answers.

Now, with Virgil seemingly safe and sound, with things calming down for the moment, Alan realized that he, too, was exhausted. Time for some shuteye. After all, Virg was right – once he returned to the island, he knew it'd be nonstop work for all of them. Who knew when any of them would get a decent night's sleep from here on in?

With that in mind, Alan headed for the small bedroom off Five's main control room. He stripped off his clothes and fell face-first into bed. His thoughts turned inevitably to Tin-Tin and a warm feeling grew in the pit of his stomach as he pictured her beautiful face, her beautiful smile as she said those words to him.

And he'd said them back.

The warmth turned to a cold knot as he suddenly realized they'd taken the next step. "Oh, God," he groaned, flopping over onto his back. What was it Gordon had told him once?

You're going have to grow up, Al. You're not in grade school anymore. Sooner or later, that woman's going to want more than just flirting.

Of course, the conversation had ended with them fighting over Gordon's rather biting words, but in the end, Alan had realized Gordon was right. He'd also realized that he wasn't ready, not for a big commitment, not for the "relationship" stuff.

Now? Now he'd not only toed across the line, he'd damn-well erased the thing.

"Oh, God," he groaned again, throwing an arm over his eyes.

Am I really ready for this?

He thought of Gordon's words.

Am I ready to be a man?

"Oh, God..."

"I must tell Tin-Tin. But I must also tell Jeff," Kyrano whispered as he stood over his daughter.

But how? How to tell his daughter she was in actuality a princess? And that their home country wanted them both back to rule? What would she say? Would she refuse to go? Would she hate him for not having told her the truth of her heritage?

And then there were the Tracys. All this time under their roof. Protected and protecting. And they'd been sharing their lives with a future sultan. He hadn't lied, exactly. He'd just left out the part of his life that included him being Malay royalty.

I am sorry, Jeff, but I must leave you now.

He could imagine the look on Jeff's face. Betrayal. It was the only way he could see Jeff reacting. Betrayal at not having known of Kyrano's true nature. Betrayal at being left in the midst of this situation they were in both with Tracy Corporation and International Rescue.

He'd gathered from what Tin-Tin had told him that Virgil had brought his counterpart back from the other dimension, and that he actually was a sultan, a sultan who ruled the entire lower portion of Malaysia. And it was thanks to this sultan that Kyrano now found himself alive. His decision to give of his life force to save Tin-Tin had been what he thought would be his last act ever.

Because he himself hadn't had any idea what the consequences would be of transferring himself to her like that other than that it would most surely kill him. He recalled nothing of his time in Tin-Tin's body, none of the things she'd told him had happened. But here he was alive and well. Saved thanks to a Kyrano who had become king.

But that man had undoubtedly been trained for it. Royal heirs always were. Kyrano had chosen to leave while in his twenties, and hadn't regretted it once. Yet now he was supposed to go back and govern a state and, quite possibly, half of a country? Amid civil and political unrest? He hadn't the knowledge necessary for that! Perhaps he could convince the government of their folly in insisting upon his return.

But...if he abdicated...if they allowed him to do so...

That meant Tin-Tin would be next in line. Then she would have to make the decision to take it or not. And Sarawak, as well as all of Malaysia, could suffer terribly if no one took the throne. Times had changed since Kyrano had last lived in his country, changed enough in the past and changing enough now there was no telling how they would react to him or to his daughter becoming a sultana.

If she even wanted to.

He sighed. He had to contact Jeff, and soon. After all, to the best of his knowledge, Jeff still thought he was dead. He had to put that to rights first, and then... He sighed again. It was now or never, he knew. Best to get it over with. His hand reached out and turned the vidphone on.

Jeff had finally dozed off. The ringing vidphone made him start. He turned and switched it on...

...and thought he was seeing a ghost.

His mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged. His eyes were wide; he could do nothing but stare at the screen before him. The familiar salt-and-pepper hair. The familiar brown eyes. The olive-tanned skin.

It can't be.

But when he spoke, he knew it was. "Hello, Jeff."

At first his voice wouldn't work. He inched closer to the screen. When he spoke, his voice sounded foreign even to him. "I thought...Penny told me...Kyrano?"

He smiled. "Yes, Jeff. It is me."

"But...how?"

"It is a long and involved story."

"It seems like everything is today," Jeff replied. "Tell me. Please?"

Kyrano shook his head. "Not now. I wished to let you know I live, but I have something else of importance I must tell you as well."

"Is it Tin-Tin? Is she all right?"

"Yes. Tin-Tin is well. She sleeps now."

"Well, then, what is it?"

"Perhaps I should tell you of my father's heritage, Jeff, as a place to begin."

Jeff frowned. "Why would you need to tell me that?"

"Malaysia has always been a country with individual rulers within each state. These rulers have worked together throughout our history for the benefit of the entire country."

Jeff opened his mouth to ask why the hell he was getting a history lesson on Malaysia, but Kyrano raised a hand to silence him.

"Over the years there have been some rulers who did not have the country's best interests at heart, but one thing the state of Sarawak has always been proud of is its lineage of royalty, for the family who has ruled Sarawak for centuries was always good and honest with their people. As the world became more modern, however, the people of Malaysia pushed for a more democratic government. The sultans remained, but had little power; they existed more as a figurehead for the people than as absolute rulers, much like the royalty of England."

Jeff found himself listening with rapt attention. Kyrano would not waste his time with this information if it were not important in some way. He just wished he knew what that way was.

"When I was a child growing up in Sarawak, my family was treated very well, though my father had chosen not to live within the confines of the capital city."

Jeff frowned again.

"You see, the man who ruled as sultan throughout my childhood was my father's second cousin. My father was descended from a very long line of royalty here in Malaysia, going back centuries to when the country first began coming together politically."

His eyes widened. Kyrano's father...descended from...what?

"Many years ago, my half-brother usurped the throne. He kept it from bearing witness to any other prince or king. It was Radzi who killed my father along with every other heir to the Sarawak throne. He had the government of most of lower Malaysia in the palm of his hand the last that I knew, along with most of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. Singapore was falling under his control as well. Slowly my brother was taking control of that region."

"I understand he's gone now, though. Trapped in that other dimension."

"That is my understanding as well. His informants have not heard from him and believe him to be dead. As such, the government of my home state and country are calling for the return of the royal bloodline to Sarawak. Democracy has not worked. The iron fist within which my brother held Malaysia has disappeared, leaving the people with no one to turn to."

"Kyrano..." Jeff's voice was soft and concerned. "What are you trying to tell me?"

He sighed. "I was contacted by an old friend of mine who holds a high position within the government of Sarawak. His name is Badan. He knew of my affiliation with you, and called Tracy Island. I believe it to be Virgil who then put the call through to me here on your yacht. Badan has told me that my government is calling for my return, along with the return of my daughter."

Jeff tried to swallow but found his throat had gone completely dry. "Why do they want you to return?" he whispered, gut starting to twist again.

"Because, Jeff...Tin-Tin and I are the last in my father's bloodline. We are the last heirs to the throne of Sarawak. And the people want us to rule."

"You...you're a...a...?"

"A prince. Yes."

"My God, Kyrano," Jeff said softly, face clearly conveying the extent of his disbelief. There were several minutes of silence as the men just looked at one another. Finally, Jeff found his voice again. "Does this mean...are you leaving us?"

Leaving me...?

Kyrano shook his head. "I cannot say for certain. I have a duty to my people. My belief in that runs deep. But I also have a duty to you, to your family." Jeff watched as Kyrano looked away. It was the most emotion he thought he'd ever seen from the man since the time Tin-Tin was in danger on the Sunprobe rescue. "I have told Badan that Tin-Tin and I will travel to Malaysia and meet with the government, but I have promised him nothing more than that."

"When?"

"As soon as we return to the island and confirm the health of Scott and Virgil, I will make arrangements for our travel."

NO! Jeff's mind screamed. To have learned he was alive only to find out he was leaving them? "Just going to meet with them," he repeated. Kyrano nodded. "Okay, but can I ask one favor first?"

"Anything, Jeff."

"Don't leave until I'm back. We're returning tomorrow, Virgil and Parker are going to fly here and pick us up. Stay that long."

Kyrano nodded. "Of course."

In the background, Jeff heard Tin-Tin's voice.

"My daughter has awakened. I must speak with her now, Jeff."

"I understand."

Kyrano looked at him for a few seconds more. "We will speak tomorrow."

"Yes."

And with that, he was gone.

Jeff fell back into the bed once more. Kyrano, a...a prince? But...a prince? How could he be a prince? He'd never...he'd always worked for a living, always acted so pious, so...how could he be a prince? And that meant Tin-Tin was what, a princess?

"My God," he said softly as the weight of Kyrano's words sank into him. "He's...he's going to leave..."

John ran a hand through his hair. He felt pretty good, considering. He studied his reflection in the mirror, noting the four bruises and nice, long scratch on his forehead and down his temple. Well, his bones were healing and so were his other wounds. That concussion had even started to fade now.

He'd stopped by and seen Scott briefly a few days ago, and had visited his dad at least a couple of times a day, but the one he'd spent the most time with so far was Gordon. He'd come out of things relatively unscathed save for a mild concussion and a stitch in his back that had taken a couple days to go away, but he'd refused to the leave the hospital until his entire family could go with him. Wasn't any fun to be alone on Tracy Island, he'd said. John knew better, but also knew to keep his mouth shut about it.

Hell, every single one of them felt the same way. They'd all been so worried about each other, but most especially Virgil. John was in the process of getting ready to head to Jeff's room with Gordon, to get any updates he might have. And to start talking to him about Tracy Corp. Because that still loomed over them, and with all this down time due to their injuries, the Corp had been given almost no consideration whatsoever. Combined with the fact that International Rescue was in some pretty dire straits, both John and Gordon had decided the subject needed to be broached. And there was no time like the present.

"Hey, you done primping?" Gordon poked his head around the corner, a large grin on his face.

"Can it," John replied, but he, too, was smiling. He remembered the first time Gordon had come in to see him after they'd all gotten settled into their respective rooms. His younger brother had entered so silently John hadn't even known he was there, especially in his drug-induced daze. As a result, when he'd opened his eyes to find Gordon towering over him, he'd very nearly let out what might've been considered to be a girlie scream, and his heart rate had shot through the roof, prompting several dozen nurses and doctors to arrive in short order.

Gordon and John had been reprimanded by the medical staff, and had laughed about it later. Now the running gag was that Gordon had to announce himself at the door or he wouldn't be let in at all. Nurse Chapman's orders. Yeah, Nurse Chapman was one of those big, scary women you were certain had once been either a prison guard or an orderly in a mental institution. Either way, she was someone you didn't argue with if you valued your life and current state of health.

As John left his room, Gordon asked, "You think Dad's up to discussing business?"

"It's Dad we're talking about, Gordon. Chances are he's used all this time in bed to put together a complete plan of action for us all to execute."

He snorted in agreement. "I wouldn't doubt it."

But when they rounded the corner, instead of finding the semi-relaxed man they'd come to expect, they found a man was so tense their very appearance had made him jump. Both were at his bedside in an instant.

"Dad?" Gordon said, eyes wide with concern.

John looked up at his brother then back down to Jeff. "What is it, Dad? Is it..."

"Virgil?" Gordon finished for him.

"No, it's...I mean, yes, he's...Virgil's fine, boys. He's back on the island safe and sound."

"You, uh..." Gordon exchanged a glance with John as he spoke. "You don't look like you're very relieved about that."

"Oh...oh, no, I am. I am, believe me. And Scott checked himself out of the hospital, he's home, too."

"He did what?" Gordon asked angrily. "After I stayed here for him?"

"You know Scott," John remarked.

"Dammit," Gordon mumbled. "I could've been home already."

"And miss my lovely company?" John asked sarcastically.

"Because of your lovely company."

They looked down and realized their dad wasn't following their banter. Normally he would be looking at them with a half-amused, half-annoyed look on his face. But he was just staring straight ahead.

"Dad?" Gordon said, laying a hand on his arm. "What?"

"There's so much, boys," Jeff said. "So much...maybe you'd better sit down."

They each pulled up a chair, sitting next to one another on Jeff's left, and waited for him to begin. Wondering what the hell had their father so tense. Wondering if he was about to have a relapse back into that strange catatonic state he'd been in. Wondering if one of them was in a worse way than they knew.

"Parallel dimensions," Jeff said. "Ever heard of them?"

Gordon and John exchanged a look that said, He's gone 'round the bend.

"I'll tell you what I know, boys. We'll have to wait a few more days for the full story, but you have a right to know as much as I do." Jeff took a deep breath, adjusting his legs slightly beneath the soft white blanket covering them. "Gordon, when you fired on Two's attacker...well, it started a sequence of events..."

"Father, you look very serious. Are you well?"

Kyrano smiled at his daughter. His jewel. The one he loved most in the entire universe. "I am well, my daughter. I suffer from no ill effects."

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay. I don't really understand how you are, but...Father, I just don't know what I'd do without you."

"Nor I without you, my child," he replied, kissing the top of her head. He held her in silence for a few more moments before sighing softly. "Tin-Tin, we must speak."

"Of what?" she asked, drawing back to look into his eyes.

"While you were asleep, an old friend made contact with me on the video phone."

"Really? Who would that be?"

"I do not believe you remember Badan. He is seated high within the Malay government. I have known him since I was twelve years of age. He is a righteous man who fights for our people, for their rights and the good of the country."

Tin-Tin cocked her head, somewhat surprised at the passion she heard in her father's slightly raised voice. So rarely did he speak above a low tone. "Why did Badan contact you?"

"I believe perhaps we should sit down," Kyrano said. "This may take some time."

Now her curiosity was really piqued. She seated herself on the room's bed, cross-legged, and waited as her father did the same. They were face-to-face, knee-to-knee, as was their custom during personal conversations.

Please let my beautiful child forgive me, he thought as he took her hands.

"Tin-Tin, there is something about our family I have not told you. I had hoped it would never be necessary, but the time has come and I am left with no choice."

Brow furrowed, Tin-Tin squeezed his hands. "What is it, Father?"

"You know how Alan teases you about being a princess?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

Perplexed, she half-smiled in return. "Yes..."

"Tin-Tin...the fact of it is..."

Scott was keenly aware of several aches and pains as his mind began to rise to consciousness. First off, his arm hurt. Second, his leg hurt...more specifically, his ankle. And third...well, third, he was hung over. To say the least.

Moaning, he threw an arm over his eyes to block out the brilliant light of what smelled like a hospital room. Slowly he peeked out from under that arm and wasn't surprised to see he was in the island's hospital ward.

Now, what the hell am I doing here?

And suddenly he knew.

Scott sat bolt upright in the bed, blinded by the sudden onslaught of fluorescent lighting and yelled, "Virgil!" There was a clatter nearby and before Scott could even see he felt an arm around his shoulders. He reached his good hand up to touch the arm. "Virg?"

"I'm here, Scott."

That voice. Never had anything sounded better than that voice sounded to him right now. "Thank God. I thought I'd dreamed it."

"No. You're okay. And I'm okay." He paused for a moment, then continued with a hint of humor in his voice. "Well, I was until you scared the living shit out of me just now. I had just fallen asleep, too, dammit."

"Sorry," Scott mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I feel like the back end of a mule got me in the head."

"I don't know which would be the mule," Virgil shot back, "but I'd guess I'm looking at him."

"Say what?" Scott asked, his voice rising in pitch.

"You are a horse's ass, you know that?"

"I'm a—hey, wait a minute—"

He was cut off by the sound of laughter. "I'm kidding, Scott, calm down." And he squeezed him into a half-hug.

Scott chuckled, but the action made his head pound. Without a word, Virgil went and got a shot of Brains' miracle hangover cure and soon had set Scott's head to rights. That accomplished, the two of them remarked how it seemed the other really could do with a good shower.

But they just sat there, side-by-side on the bed Scott had been occupying, neither moving a muscle.

Why did he say it?

Virgil seemed half asleep. Scott wasn't sure he should say anything.

What did he mean by it?

But he had to. He had to know. Finally he decided to break the silence. "Hey, Virg?"

"Yeah?"

"You know after you pulled me up on the gantry?"

"Yeah."

"Why...you said, I couldn't lose you again."

He nodded.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you say that? What'd you mean?"

Virgil tensed. Scott felt...something...pouring off him in waves. What, he couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Come on. Tell me."

"When Two crashed, I wasn't strapped in. I was sucked out of the hatch when it blew."

Scott's eyes had darkened, concern etched into his features.

"I did come down, apparently with the pilot's chair. But not all of me did." Virgil glanced sideways at him. He had his brother's full attention, that was for sure. "My...I guess you'd call it my spirit...it got sucked out of me and pulled into another dimension because of this." Virgil held up his left arm, showing Scott the device that was still secured there, and stretched from just behind his wrist bone to about two inches down from his elbow.

"It's an inter-dimensional transporter," Virgil continued. "The Hood developed it, and used it to travel through inter-dimensional portals from one point in our dimension to another. It's how he was able to sneak up on both you and me. He just sort of winked into existence, fired, and left. Except Gordon hit him before he could leave the second time."

"So...what, the device fired...just as Two's hatch blew?"

Virgil nodded. "Yes, and I was traveling at such a high rate of speed, I guess it took my spirit right out of me. A fishing vessel found my body and rescued it. I was alive, I just looked unconscious."

"You're telling me you were in another dimension all this time?"

"Yes. A dimension parallel to this one. Similar in so many ways, yet so different in others."

"Are we over there?"

"Yeah, we are. At least, some of us are."

"What do you mean by that? And what's any of this got to do with what you said to me?"

"Over there...Scott, I knew where to find you. When that nurse told me you'd checked yourself out of the hospital, I knew exactly where I'd find you. And I knew it had to be double-quick."

"How could you have known?"

"Because over there, I..." Virgil stopped, his voice catching in his throat. He looked away, unable to turn off the umpteenth rerun of the scene in his mind. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"Because over there, Scott, I...I watched you die."

to Part X: Ultimatum >>