A child who'd come way too early. Adi had been so beside herself by the time the ambulance got her and the newly delivered and struggling infant to the hospital, the doctors had sedated her just to keep her from hemorrhaging or worse. Ned was assumed to be the father and as such was allowed to see the 1.7 pound baby boy. Tubes up his nose, patches on his chest to monitor oxygen, heartbeat, blood flow, lungs. His nose was no larger than Ned's pinky fingernail. His eyes were shut tightly and his tiny mouth was open just slightly as he struggled to breathe into the equally tiny oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth.

His fingers were so very small. He had not an ounce of fat on him and looked like nothing more than sticks stuck together, he was so thin. Ned felt his heart swell over the new life and then drop right into his toes as he reminded himself again just why this child existed to begin with. Half of him guiltily wished the baby hadn't survived at all. For as much as he'd realized how much he truly loved Adi, he wasn't so sure now with this small arrival how that would work. Because every single day forever, he and Adi would both be reminded of Belah Gaat, of what he had done and of the fact that this child wasn't theirs, but the product of a rape.

Ned reached out and laid his hand on the incubator. It wasn't the baby's fault; he knew that as surely as he knew his own name. But what if the little boy turned out to be like his father? What if he had an evil streak than ran through him the same as Ned knew ran through Gaat? What if he became the world's next arch-criminal? With Gaat's body gone, even though in some way his soul apparently wasn't, this might very well be the one and only offspring of the Hood. Would they tell him about his heritage? What would he do if he did find out? No one else but the Tracys knew, and Heaven knew they could keep a secret.

His thumb rubbed along the smooth surface. Poor child. If he survived these first few days of life, and that was a big 'if' according to the neo-natal staff, he would forever be someone who would remind them of the past and of the horrors endured at the hands of the Hood. Deep down inside, Ned knew it was something he'd never be able to turn away from the truth of no matter how wonderful this boy might turn out to be as he grew to adulthood. Adi would love him. At this very moment, Ned didn't think he ever could.

For the first time since being reunited with her, since rekindling the romance they had once shared, Ned began to doubt whether he and Adi had a chance at all. And it was all because of Belah Gaat. Because of what he'd done to her. What he'd done to them.

"Bastard," he swore quietly, squeezing his eyes shut against the sight of the baby. "Goddamn bastard."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tracy, but it's hospital policy. The police are on their way to escort Mr. Hackenbacker to the IMH." Off John's blank look, the doctor clarified, "Institute of Mental Health." John's face hardened. The physician quickly added, "They're the best at what they do, and they're right here in Singapore."

"I don't care if they're just down the hall!" John seethed. "Did you not listen when I told you he couldn't be taken out of that room? Did you talk to my father?"

"No, we haven't," the doctor replied. "I'm sorry, but I'm under strict orders from the Administrator himself to get your friend out of here pronto. He's too much a risk to our patients, Mr. Tracy. IMH will be attempting to contact your father once the transfer is complete."

John pivoted, his face grown red with the anger that boiled inside him. But it wasn't only anger, he knew, as he stalked down the hall toward Brains' room. It was fear. John Tracy was really and truly afraid of what would happen when the door opened. He couldn't tell them what was really going on with Brains. They'd all want to commit him next. He had to get out of earshot of everyone else and call his father.

Regardless how they'd been at odds on and off throughout his life thus far; regardless how it was true his father didn't really know him and hadn't really tried to; regardless of whatever water had passed under their bridge, there was one thing John firmly believed in with every fiber of his being: Jeff Tracy could do anything.

He'd know what to do and moreover, he'd actually do it. One well-placed call to this hospital's administrator would take care of the problem. John just knew it. He went further down the hall past the room where Brains was, for the moment, safely locked away. He looked into each subsequent room until he happened upon one that was empty. Pushing the door open, it had barely closed behind him when his watch was in front of his face.

"Dad," he said into it.

He felt a wave of relief when Jeff appeared in the watch face. "John, how are things in Singapore?"

"Not good, Dad," John replied. "I need your help or this city isn't going to know what hit it." He saw the others crowd around his father. "Please, Dad," he said, feeling like he was ten years old again. "Just two."

Jeff nodded and advised the others he needed a moment alone. John was glad he remembered, and in his own mind replayed the scene that he had replayed so many times before when he was pissed off at his father. Because it was the one time he knew for certain he and Jeff Tracy had truly connected.

(Flashback)

He leaned back in the child-sized recliner his parents had bought for his room. The book in his hands was a good one: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. His grandmother had purchased it for him; it was a classic, but this was the first time he'd cracked it open. Within an hour he was already a third of the way through it, and it fascinated him. Now he knew why she'd chosen it for him. He was her dreamer, she said, and this book sure fit the bill for such a child.

In the back of his mind John was nervous, although he was doing a fairly good job of compartmentalizing it. Nervous because it was the first time he could remember his grandmother not being there with them. She'd gone on a short trip to see her best childhood friend, who was near death in a nursing home in Oklahoma City. It was the first time he and his brothers had ever been left alone with their own father that he could remember.

At ten, John was healthy most of the time. But once every few months he'd have bouts of weakness, dizziness and breathing problems. His heart would beat faster, or irregularly, and despite his best efforts, very often it would dissolve into a full-blown panic-induced asthma attack. His grandmother had always known exactly what to do, and within minutes would have him back to breathing regularly and nice and calmed. The one time his father had witnessed one of these attacks was back when he was far too young to remember, according to Grandma; back when Lucille Tracy had still been alive.

So as hard as he was trying not to think about it, the fact was that as he read, it was always right there in his mind. When he felt his heart begin to pick up pace a bit, he tried to ignore it. When his chest started feeling tight, he brushed it off. Then the door to his bedroom opened, his father filling its frame. He looked up, startled, and felt his heart thump erratically. His face turned white. The book fell to the floor as he struggled to climb over the side of his reclined chair. He knew he had to get his head down, but didn't have the strength or wherewithal to lower the footrest.

"John!" his father bellowed, and he felt a wave of dizziness overtake him. Jeff rushed in and knelt next to his son, gently pushing him back up into a sitting position, and quickly lowering the footrest. Pounding feet were heard and John knew that at the very least Scott and Virgil had just arrived. "Lean forward, son," Jeff said.

"Dad, is John all right?" Scott barked…even back then he was already speaking in those clipped, authoritative tones.

"He'll be fine, Scott," Jeff replied, but his face looked worried as John glanced up at him. He caught his father's eyes and even though his vision was dancing around a bit, he felt something from them and saw something in them that he hadn't remembered seeing before.

John knew he didn't want Scott there. He always made him feel so inferior. Oh, to be sure, it wasn't something Scott did intentionally. It was just that he and Virgil were such jocks, as was their father, that John automatically felt inadequate around them when they were in full-out sports mode. And the times when weakling John had to allow his strapping, perfectly healthy oldest brother to 'save' him from his own body's shortcomings were simply humiliating to a ten year old boy.

Jeff gave him a small smile and laid a hand on his back. "Do you want Scott's help?" he said quietly into his ear.

"No," John said, shaking his head, causing his vision to whirl again. "Just…" He wheezed. "Just…" He wheezed again and felt his father's fingertips press into the back of his ribcage as if willing him to have the strength to speak. "Just two," he finally was able to gasp.

"Scott," Jeff said, turning his head slightly.

"Yeah, Dad?" The fifteen year old was next to him in a nanosecond.

"You and Virgil go check on Gordon and Alan for me, will you? I left them playing in the den."

Scott's mouth opened and shut and he frowned slightly, but nodded and pivoted. Soon he and Virgil were gone; John heard the door close behind them. To his surprise, Jeff took hold of his shoulders and pulled him gently into a fully upright position, then lifted him out of the chair and carried him to his bed. He deftly pulled back the quilt and top sheet with the hand that was beneath the backs of John's knees and in one swift movement had laid Johnny so gently upon his bed that he barely felt himself land there.

Jeff removed his son's slippers and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed. Then he returned and sat down on the edge of it. John's eyes followed his every movement, and before he knew it, his breathing and heart rate had returned to normal.

"How did you know what I meant?" he asked his father, truly curious.

The corners of Jeff's eyes crinkled. "You're my son," he said, smoothing a long shock of nearly-white hair out of the boy's eyes. "I always know."

"Even with me?"

Jeff grinned. "Even with you. Now, I'll go and get your medication, and I'll be right back."

On impulse, John reached out and took his father's hand. "No," he said. "I don't need it this time."

"But John—"

"No, Dad. Please…don't go. Just for a bit…stay here?"

Jeff nodded as John sat up with a smile on his face. He turned sideways and patted the bed next to him. Toeing off his shoes, Jeff sat down properly on the bed, scooting back until he was against the wall. John sat next to him, mirroring the way his father folded his hands in his lap.

"What would you like to talk about, son?"

John looked up at his father and could almost see his adventures in his eyes. "The stars," he said. "Tell me about what it's like up there, Dad."

And Jeff did. For three hours they talked. For three hours they connected. And for those three hours, no one bothered them. Jeff was all his. John had loved every minute.

That had been the last time he'd ever had 'a spell.'

(Present)

"Tell me, son."

John looked his father in the eyes and immediately felt that connection again. It had been so long, and yet there it was. He allowed the ghost of a smile before his brow furrowed. "It's Brains. KK is refusing to keep him here. They've called the police and he's going to be escorted to a mental hospital."

"Haven't you made them aware of the danger he poses if that door is opened?"

"Of course I have, Dad! They were going to call you, but the hospital administrator ordered Brains to be moved! I can't tell them what's really wrong with him; they just think he's gone crazy!" John ran a hand through his hair as panic threatened to set in. Just like that he felt his chest tighten. His eyes widened as his heart started pounding. "Oh, shit," he whispered.

"John?" Jeff said sternly from the watch. "John, stay with me."

"I can't…" John puffed and thought how stupid, how utterly dumb this was, what the hell was wrong with him?

"John, it's just you and me. Tell me what's got you this worked up."

He tried to focus on his father's face. He remembered being a boy, remembered looking up at his dad, and remembered the look in his eyes. He concentrated…concentrated hard…forcing himself to stop the shit, to not regress. He was an astronaut! He was part-time Space Monitor, part time rocket-flyer! He'd risked his life so many times to save others that he'd lost count of all the times he'd been in mortal danger.

So why now was this panicking him to such a point that he was wheezing?

"John, we'll fix this. We'll get the Hood out of Brains. I promise you we will."

He made himself hold his breath to the count of ten. He exhaled slowly and felt the world finally stop spinning. He took in a deep breath and held it again as he backed up and leaned against the plasterboard wall. His arms hung down at his sides, but he could still hear Jeff's voice quite clearly.

"I realize now why you and Brains went into Ben's cell," he said. "It was a stupid maneuver, but I get it, John. Unfortunately, that's what's caused this whole new mess."

"Dad…"

"Ben's okay, John. He's here with us and he's okay."

John shook his head. "But he's not my Ben," he said softly, raising the watch again. "It had just started happening when Scott and Ned interrupted us."

"What had?"

"The weakness," John replied. "I didn't drag Brains into the cell because I wanted to see Ben," he continued, shaking his head, then rubbing his closed eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Brains and I went in there to prove our theory."

"Your theory?" Jeff repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"We just…I mean, I felt like…and then Brains felt it, too, and we…"

"Felt…John, what did you and Brains feel?"

John swallowed hard. Not one to talk about emotional things any more than his brothers or his father, it was hard…but he had to make sure Jeff understood. He took a deep breath, and then let it all tumble forth in one go.

"We got to thinking we were each other's…you know, like you had Mom and now Penelope, and of course Alan and Gordon and then Scott and Virgil, I mean, I always wanted mine, too, but because Ben died and I lived, I was destined to be alone until I met the real Ben, or sort of, and realized he wasn't the brother I was looking for, but that…" John sucked in a breath as he took in his father's widened eyes. "Brains is Ben, Dad. In this dimension he is my brother."

A myriad of emotions played across Jeff's face like an expert conductor coaxing every sound from every instrument in the orchestra that was possible.

"Dad, that's why we went in there. We figured it would do two things: it would prove our theory as to whether Brains and Ben were each other's counterparts in the two dimensions if Brains started to have trouble when he was in close proximity. And if that proved to be the case, Brains knew he could get the Hood to leave Ben's body by making him weak just by being near him."

"But…John…when Kyrano was transferring Gaat from the sultan's body back to his own here on the island, Ben was there and so was Brains."

"Yes, I know, I was there, too," John said, wondering why the hell his dad was bringing that up now.

"Ben never lost consciousness," Jeff reminded him. "Neither did Brains. It was only Kyrano and the six of us who did."

John shook his head, trying to make sense of his father's words.

"John, if Ben and Brains were each other's counterparts like you two think they are, both of them would've become so weakened from being in the lounge together that someone would've noticed. As far as I know, that didn't happen."

"No, I don't think it did, either. But when the Hood in Ben arrived, and we had him in the sick ward, Brains started having trouble."

"What sort of trouble?"

"He was dizzy, and then I heard a noise and…oh, shit." He looked at his father's face and paled. "It wasn't because they're each other's counterparts. It's because the Hood was putting the whammy on him." John's face went a shade whiter yet as he slid down the wall in defeat. "My God, neither of us even thought of that time back on the island."

"Son, I know you want your Ben, but the two incidents where they've been in close proximity can be explained. So unless Brains and Ben have some sort of odd iron constitution where inter-dimensional coexistence is concerned, they couldn't possibly be the same souls."

"What have I done?" John breathed. "Now the Hood's inside of him and I…Father, what have I done?"

He could almost feel his father reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. "It can be undone, son. We'll leave right now. Just do everything you can to keep Brains secure until we arrive. Okay?"

John nodded, feeling like every ounce of energy had been drained right out of him. "I guess the reason he sagged in Ben's cell was because the Hood got into him. Not because he was so close to Ben," he said dejectedly. That was when he heard something from beyond the room. He frowned and looked up toward the window in the closed door.

"John? What is it?" Jeff asked, noting the odd look on his son's face.

"I don't know," John replied. He rose to his feet and swung open the door, sending the screen on his father's watch reeling. Poking his head out into the hall, his look of curiosity soon turned to one of horror at what he saw. "No!" he cried out. "Brains!"

"John?"

"Oh, my God, no!" John took off at a dead run, his father's transmission all but forgotten.

"John!" Jeff called out in vain. "John!"

Ned whirled when the door behind him slammed open. He wasn't surprised to see Brains. He was surprised to see the sneer on his face. "Is this my child?" he bellowed in a voice that was nothing like the scientist's. In fact, it was—

"Gaat," Ned breathed in disbelief. He'd been with Adi and then the baby since they'd reached the hospital, and therefore had no idea what had been happening in the security ward. "How is that possible, you were inside Ben back on Tracy Island!"

Brains moved deliberately toward the incubator. In a flash, Ned put himself in front of it. "Get out of my way, Cook."

"Not on your life."

"That is my child, is it not?"

Ned swallowed hard and kept eye contact. "No," he finally said. "This child is mine."

"Liar!" he bellowed. "I happen to know you are sterile!"

Ned gasped as the Hood inside of Brains used one arm to knock him away. He landed on the floor in a heap. "You sonofabitch!" he yelled and launched himself into Brains' legs.

Brains cried out in his own voice, "Ned!"

It was all the distraction Belah needed to jam his elbow into the back of the reporter's neck, rendering him unconscious. He rose to his feet and moved once again to the incubator where he took in the tiny life before him.

Quickly he undid the metal clasps that fused the top half of the plexiglass from the bottom and tossed the lid aside. He reached out and placed his hand over the tiny ribcage. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a small smile as he whispered, "My son. Soon you shall know my power."

"Brains!" a voice cried from the open door. "Brains, no!"

John ran into the room and tackled Brains, knocking his head into the incubator's base as they fell to the floor. But his friend didn't react. In fact, Brains wasn't even conscious. A dozen policemen rushed in, grabbing first the limp form of the engineer and then attempting to pull John from the floor.

"Leave me alone!" he ground out, hopping to his feet. He went to the incubator as he heard several clicks and the resulting tell-tale whines of fully charged laser pistols behind him. He froze as he stared down at the baby boy. John's eyes widened as the infant's eyes opened to reveal whirling, swirling dark and light brown irises. Then the eyes closed just as quickly. "No," John breathed.

He allowed the police officers to grab him and haul him out of the room. He watched as Brains was pulled out next. They were both dragged through the halls, with handcuffs being placed on John's wrists. He was vaguely aware of being told he could call a lawyer, but John couldn't think about anything but that baby.

The baby who he was convinced now held the essence of Belah Gaat. In more ways than one.

"Fa—uh, Dad…"

Jeff smiled. "You know," he said quietly, turning to look behind him, "I never thought I'd hear Ben call me that."

"I want to know you're with me on this plan I have."

"What plan is that, So…" Jeff stopped himself and then smiled as he locked eyes with the man who crouched next to him. "Son," he finished.

"I've got to force the Hood to enter me again."

"I can't let you do that."

"Dad, it's the only way. There's no one left back on my Tracy Island for him to kill. As long as you get me over there as soon as he's taken possession of me, he'll be powerless."

"What about the Thunderbirds?" Jeff asked. "What about all the technology on Tracy Island? If he gets his hands on so much as a blueprint, your entire Earth could be at stake." He looked askance at Penny. "For that matter, so could ours."

"He won't," Ben said with confidence even as beads of sweat broke out on his brow. "He can't."

"Why can't he?" Penny asked, laying a hand on his arm.

"Because," Ben replied, "once I realized what was happening, that the sultan was possessed by Gaat, I set the auto-destruct sequence in motion just in case push came to shove."

"My God, Ben," Jeff said.

Ben looked down at his watch, then up at the father that wasn't really his. "Shove happened about an hour ago."

"You mean…you mean Tracy Island's been destroyed?" Penny breathed in disbelief.

"That it has," Ben said. "There isn't anything left there but rock and a lot of burning rubble if Brains' explosives were rigged right."

"If they were set like the ones on this side," Jeff said, his face hardening, "they were."

"Ben, if you return to a ruined island with no way to get back to this dimension, with no transportation out in the middle of the South Pacific, you'll be marooned."

"That's the idea, Lady Penelope," Ben said, his facial features drawing tight in mirror of Jeff's. "And that's when I take my own life."

"No," Jeff said, his voice clipped. "There will be another way."

"I am afraid," said a soft voice from behind them, "there may not be."

"Kyrano, I refuse to allow my son to sacrifice himself for the sake of that bastard."

"As long as there are live humans anywhere near wherever my half-brother's soul is, he will take them over until he gets whatever it is he wants. Eventually he could kill hundreds, if not thousands."

"Dad, listen to me," Ben said, squeezing his father's shoulder tightly. "I'm not really your son. You know that as well as I do. I don't belong in this dimension with you. And I won't last very long here."

"But to commit suicide is simply not an option," Jeff interjected.

"I don't want to go back, sir," Ben said, his voice tinged with sadness. "All those I love are gone. My twin, my brothers, my father. Everyone I love. They're gone. There's no reason for me to go back and try to live a life there; I couldn't. I couldn't go on by myself."

"Jeff," Penelope said quietly, "it may not be my place, but I ask you to imagine what it would be like for you if all five of your sons, and Brains, Kyrano here…and Tin-Tin…and even me, Jeff…if we were all dead and gone. Would you wish to carry on without all of us?"

Jeff's head whipped around to look at her, a lump rising in his throat. It took a few seconds for him to be able to speak. "No," was all he could get to come out.

"Then you understand where I'm coming from," Ben said, rising to his feet. "I'll do whatever I can, with Kyrano's help, to get him to take me. It'll be up to you two, to make sure I get through a portal, and then to destroy those IDTs once and for all."

"There has to be another way," Jeff said, turning to look out the window ahead of him.

The radio crackled to life. "This is Changi International Airport Control Tower calling Tracy Five, come in, Tracy Five."

Jeff cleared his throat and flicked a switch in front of him. "Tracy Five requesting immediate landing authorization."

"Ten-four, Tracy Five, you are cleared to land on Runway Two-Nine."

"Thank you, Changi, we'll be with you in six minutes," Jeff replied and flicked the transmission switch off. He turned to find that Kyrano and Ben had left the cockpit, and Penny was staring sadly at him. "What?" he said.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what's going to happen."

"It's not going to happen," Jeff said, squaring his jaw. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Slowly he pushed the yoke forward, gripping the handles so tightly his knuckles were white from the effort. It didn't go unnoticed by Penny, who wasn't altogether certain even Jeff Tracy could stop the next events from unfolding.

"I'm not saying jack until my father gets here."

"Mr. Tracy, you won't have to," the female detective said. "No harm's been done, you're free to go."

He looked up at her in surprise as a male policemen reached down and unlocked the cuffs on his wrists. "What?"

"It turns out the infant whose room you were in is all right. Ned Cook came around and told us what happened."

"He did?" Off her nodded he asked, "What happened?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you know since you were there?"

"I just wanted to know what he said, that's all. That way I'll know what to expect on the evening news."

She chuckled. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Where's Bra—Mr. Hackenbacker?"

"He was kept at KK in the security ward. I don't know his present condition."

John nodded. "Thanks," he said quickly as he rushed out the door. In ten minutes he was through booking and had retrieved his few possessions, which included his modified Rolex. Snapping it onto his wrist as he ran out of the police station, he raised it, not caring who saw. "Dad!" he barked, then looked around and noticed about ten people giving him odd looks. "Damn."

He scooted around the side of the station to the parking lot and ducked between two rows of parked police cars as his father's face appeared. "Dad, where are you?"

"Penny and Parker, Ben, Kyrano and I are on our way to KK," Jeff said, looking behind John. "Where are you?"

"Dad, we've got trouble. Brains got away from the cops when they went to transport him. He made it into Adi's baby's room."

"Adi's…baby?"

John nodded. "Dad, the Hood's inside his son."

"What?"

"They arrested me but I guess Ned told them some cockamamie story about what happened that cleared me, I just got out of the precinct."

"How far are you from KK? We're just pulling in."

"It was about a ten-minute ride," John said. "I can get a cab over."

"Where's Brains?"

"The detective here told me he'd been put into the security ward at KK. He was unconscious, Dad, I don't even know if he's okay after the Hood left him!"

"Leave that with me."

"We've got to get that bastard out of that baby," John said, rising to his feet and heading toward the street out front.

"We will, son," Jeff said. "We will."

Ned stood stoically watching the sleeping infant, once again secure inside his incubator. He knew what had happened; he knew it as soon as he'd gone to see Brains. Rubbing the back of his head, which still ached like the very devil in spite of the painkillers he'd been given, he recalled walking into the secure room as they'd released Brains. Brains, who was very much himself albeit extremely groggy.

Ned was quite proud of the story he'd told them about the unknown intruder who'd come to snatch the baby, who'd felled him and then Brains and John before Ned lost consciousness. The two were his closest friends, he'd told the police, who'd come in to try and help save Ned's child from being kidnapped.

Now the Singaporean authorities were looking high and low throughout the city for a baby snatcher that didn't exist.

Well, Ned thought with a sigh, it was better than John Tracy being held for something he didn't do. And besides, he needed John back here to help him figure out what to do about their new problem.

It seemed like it should be no big deal to get rid of the Hood now that he was in a premature baby's body. A premature baby who was still fighting for his tiny life. But Ned knew, based on what had happened with Ben and Brains, that if someone took the lid off the incubator again, Gaat's soul would be on the move.

If he wanted to move, that was. Ned wasn't so sure. Why the hell would Gaat invade a struggling infant's body? He was completely helpless within the baby. He could've taken John if he'd wanted, or Ned himself. He would've been fully mobile and capable of plenty of destruction. So why take his son?

That's exactly why, Ned thought. Because he's his son.

"Jesus Christ," he breathed, sinking into a nearby chair. He looked up when the door open, and jumped to his feet. "Jeff!"

"Ned, I've just left Brains, and I've talked to John. Is it true? Is Gaat inside—" Jeff stopped speaking as he stepped forward to the incubator. "Is this him?"

Nodding, Ned replied, "Yeah. And yes, it's true. At least, I'm pretty sure it is."

"Thanks for getting my son and Brains out of that mess."

Ned shrugged. "Least I could do." He looked up as Kyrano entered. "Thank God, just the man we need." Then the door opened again and Penelope walked in, followed by Ben. "Lady Penelope," Ned nodded.

Her eyes flashed at him, but then she smiled. After all, just because he'd spoken to her in the way he had while Jeff was in hospital didn't mean he didn't have a good heart…and it didn't mean he hadn't been spot on with his observations. "Mr. Cook. Always a pleasure."

He barked out a laugh. "I doubt that." He looked at Ben, who was a good three inches taller than him.

"Ben Tracy," he said, sticking out his hand.

"No offense, but I don't think I'll shake. You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth, and ran a hand through his hair. He moved to the side of the incubator. "This is the kid?"

"He's ever so small," Penny observed as Parker entered the room holding Brains up as best he could.

"John should be here in a few. Brains, you all right?"

"I-I think so, Mr., ah, Tracy."

Jeff nodded. "Kyrano, can you tell for sure if Gaat's really in that baby?"

The Malay man stepped forward and laid his hand on the incubator. He closed his eyes and less than thirty seconds passed before he flinched, eyes flying open as he jumped a full step back.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jeff said grimly. "Shit."

"How do we get him out of…Ned, what's the baby's name?"

"Adi named him Gabriel, Lady Penelope," Ned said. "And wanted to make his last name Cook," he added with disgust.

Jeff looked at him in surprise. "Kyrano, tell us how to get him out of Gabriel," he said, eyes moving to his friend's.

"I could attempt to transfer him out myself," Kyrano said. "He is weak. He's been inhabiting and controlling others' bodies for too long. His strength has waned."

"How weak?" a familiar voice asked from behind them. They turned as John entered, closing the door. "Crowded in here, damn." He looked around. "Where are all my broth—" His eyes rested on Ben. "Oh. Dad, where are the others?" he asked, walking to the other side of Brains. Parker nodded and smiled at him as he gestured that he would take over helping Brains stay upright. "You okay?" he asked the engineer.

"Am now," Brains smiled, pulling away so he could stand on his own. "Just don't go too far."

"Not on your life," John vowed, then looked up at his father.

"Your brothers have all gone with Tin-Tin to Malaysia."

"Say what?" John asked, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

"We've got one more problem to take care of here before we go to help them," Jeff said.

"And I know how to do it," Ben stated.

"You don't look so good," John said, his arm around Brains' shoulders.

"I don't feel so good," Ben confirmed with a tight smile. "Dad, we need to get this done now before I haven't got enough left in me to do what we talked about."

"Did you just call him Dad?" John asked.

"Never mind, John," Jeff said, then looked at Ben. "I told you, there's no way."

"No way what?"

"Ben believes," Lady Penelope said quietly to try and diffuse the situation, "if we can transfer Gaat into his body, and return him to his own dimension, that he can rid both worlds of the Hood once and for all."

John released Brains and stepped forward until he was practically nose to nose with Ben. "You can't do that." He turned to his left where Jeff stood. "Father, you can't possibly support this."

"Of course I don't," Jeff said hotly.

"I am afraid that if any of us are here when the incubator is opened," Kyrano said, "we could fall victim to my half-brother's possession."

"Then I have to be the one to do it!" Ben proclaimed. "I'm the only one left over there. The only one! We've already discussed this. I'm not going back to live where everyone in my family is dead."

"Everyone?" John said incredulously.

"I'm afraid so," Jeff said, his tone of voice low and defeated.

"Oh!" Brains exclaimed and before anyone knew what was happening, he collapsed onto his knees. At the same moment, Ben's legs buckled beneath him. John darted first to the engineer's side and then back to Ben's as everyone hovered around them.

"Brains, what's happened?" Jeff asked. "Ben?"

"I…I don't know, Mis…Mister…" Brains' voice trailed off as John came to kneel next to him. "He said…it wasn't true," Brains whispered, struggling to keep his eyes open. "Your father…said…" His head rolled forward onto John's chest.

"Brains?" John said, pulling his friend's head back. But Brains was unconscious. He looked quickly to where Ben knelt on the floor with Jeff kneeling in front of him.

"You were right."

They all turned to look up at Kyrano.

"You and Brains were right."

"We…we were?"

Kyrano nodded. "Brains and Ben. You see?"

"But back in the lounge," Jeff said, "when we were all helping you with Gaat and the sultan, Ben and Brains were both there."

Kyrano nodded. "Yes, they were. But they were standing, if I remember correctly, across the room from one another."

"That's absolutely correct," Penelope offered. "In fact, Ben was all the way outside the patio doors by the time he got to the tail end of your line, and Brains was standing with me halfway into the hall."

"I don't…" John looked at long, thick eyelashes splashing down onto pale white cheeks and set his jaw. "Brains is already weak from having had Gaat in him," John said. "We've got to get him away from Ben."

"H'I'll take 'im," Parker said. "H'I'll take goo' care of 'im."

John nodded as he stood, lifting Brains in his arms. "You make sure you do, Parker," John said, swallowing hard as he looked at the unconscious man before handing him over to Penny's butler. "That's my brother you've got there."

Ben looked up, shaking from the effort of trying to keep himself together. He smiled faintly as he watched Parker take the engineer from the room. "Let me do this, Father," he said, looking back at Jeff. "Please."

A noise caught their attention. All eyes turned to the incubator. Jeff rose to his feet as Ned came to stand at the head of it. "He's moving around. He's never moved around like that before."

"It's Gaat," John said. He looked at Jeff's stricken face, and then at Ben. He reached out toward the man that would have, under different circumstances, been his very own twin brother.

Ben took it and allowed John to pull him to his feet, although he leaned heavily against his arm. "My John is gone," he said. "I killed him with my own hands."

"It was Gaat!" Jeff barked.

"It doesn't matter!" Ben barked back, squeezing his eyes shut. John's arm came around him. "The fact is he's dead." He opened his eyes and looked into John's crystal clear blue ones. "I'd give anything to have him back, or even to be able to stay here with all of you," he said softly, moisture pooling in his eyes. "But I can't. I don't belong here." He struggled, trembling, to stand his full height on his own. John understood and released him from his grip.

Ben laid a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "You are as much Jeff Tracy as my father was," he said. "And I know damn well my own father would have done anything and everything in his power to rid the world of the Hood; especially if the Hood had killed his sons."

Jeff looked down at the incubator for a few seconds. Penelope could feel and hear his heartbeat pick up. In wonder, she approached his other side and reached out for his hand. "Jeff," she said softly. He looked sideways at her and she was surprised to see unshed tears in his eyes. She fought to control her own emotions. "I don't know that we've any other choice," she said, squeezing his hand.

A few moments passed. "Dad," Ben said, his voice much stronger now that Brains had been gone from the room for a few minutes, "I'll ask you to follow through with what we talked about on the plane."

Jeff rose to his full height and looked up into Ben's eyes. "I can't let this happen. I just...can't."

There was another noise from the incubator and a simultaneous gasp from Kyrano. "He grows stronger," the man whispered in disbelief as the infant reached up and pulled the oxygen mask from his mouth and nose.

"How can he do that?" Ned breathed. "That baby's barely alive!"

"With Gaat inside him, he'll be able to do anything as long as he's got the energy from inside," John said, and Jeff looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Are you saying he could…make this child…walk?"

"He couldn't possibly!" Penny exclaimed. "Why, a full-term baby's legs aren't capable of supporting ambulation, let alone a premature one's!"

"It's hard to say," Kyrano chimed in. "But I don't think we should take the chance," he finished as the baby's eyes snapped open and its tiny fist started banging on the inside of the incubator.

"Jesus Christ," Jeff breathed.

"Dad, I'm doing this," Ben said. He turned to John. "You know it's the right thing to do, Johnny. If you're anything like my John, and I think you are, you'd do the same."

John looked at his father, whose face had become unreadable.

"John, I want you to take the IDT," Ben said, leaving no room for argument. "You get me back to my own dimension and then you destroy that goddamn thing along with your other one so he can never come back here."

Slowly Jeff removed the IDT from his arm. He looked at it a moment, then looked up at Ben. "I can't send my son out knowing he'll kill himself." He swallowed hard as Penelope's fingertips lightly brushed his arm.

"I can do it, Father."

Jeff's eyes widened as he looked up at his middle son.

"He's my twin…in some twisted way. That's why I need to be the one to do this."

Jeff looked back down at the IDT. "I wish these goddamn things had never existed."

"So do we all," Penny said.

Jeff hesitated and then handed it across to John. He turned slightly, grabbed Ben, and hugged him so tight John thought he might just crush him to death. "I may never have known you," Jeff said gruffly into Ben's shoulder. "But I couldn't be more proud of you." He pulled back and looked into Ben's eyes. "Son," he added.

Ben smiled. "I'll see to it he never hurts any of you ever again," Ben said. "You have my word."

"John?" Jeff said, stopping to place a hand on his real son's shoulder.

"I got it, Dad."

Jeff looked between the two boys, knowing it was the last time he'd ever see Benjamin Tracy and John Tracy standing together. Then he took Penelope's hand. "We'll just…go check on Adi." He looked at Ned. "You coming?"

"In a few," Ned said, his eyes glued to Ben.

Jeff nodded and glanced back at Ben once more before he and Penny left the room.

John steeled his resolve as he strapped the IDT on. "How do we get the Hood into Ben?"

"Ben must remove the top of the incubator," Kyrano said, taking a step back and turning his eyes to the other-dimensional Tracy's. "Then you must lay your hand over his chest and repeat exactly what I transmit to you."

"Transmit?" Ben said, fighting against the exhaustion permeating every cell of his body.

"You will hear the words within your mind," Kyrano explained.

Ben nodded and took a deep breath as John moved back several steps until he was standing even with Kyrano. One by one he flipped the metal clasps down, releasing all six of them in less than twenty seconds. He looked back at Kyrano and John. "I really wish I'd been over here, too," he said. "I would've liked having you as my brother."

John felt a pang in his chest, but his face remained stoic and he nodded just once. Soon the lid of the incubator was lying on the floor. Baby Gabriel's eyes popped open and his face puckered. His mouth opened wide and he let out a wail that caused the three men to cover their ears in pain.

"Quickly!" Kyrano gasped.

Now mostly holding himself up using the side of the incubator, Ben faltered when he moved a hand to rest on Gabriel's chest and stomach. Without even thinking, John rushed forward and grabbed him under his armpits.

"John, no! Don't touch him!" Kyrano warned.

"I'm...okay," Ben said, and John rejoined Kyrano.

The door behind them banged open. Jeff flew into the room. "Ned!"

They all jumped and whirled on him. "What?" Ned exclaimed.

"It's Adi," Jeff said, looking stricken. Without another word, he and Ned ran from the room.

"That's enough," Ben said, turning and putting his hand back onto Gabriel. "He's taken enough lives. We're going to end this now."

Ben closed his eyes as did Kyrano. John watched as first the older man's lips began to move, then the younger one's. There was no sound save for the baby's cries. John quickly keyed in the code that would open a portal from the hospital room directly to Tracy Island of the other dimension. His finger hovered over the firing mechanism.

My brother's going to kill himself.

A yellowish glow appeared around the baby, who had stopped crying and seemed to have fallen asleep.

My half-brother will be gone.

The glow traveled up Ben's arms and he faltered, but managed to stay on his feet.

There has to be another way.

Up and up his arms until it reached his shoulders, then began to spread downward into his chest.

I should be the one doing this, not a son of Jeff Tracy.

Ben roared, causing John to nearly jump out of his skin. Kyrano's eyes snapped open. "Now!"

John's finger hit the button on the IDT and the deafening whine of the portal assaulted their senses. The room was filled with a blinding white light. John struggled to see Ben and was startled when he suddenly appeared right in front of him. Falling to his knees, Ben grabbed John's shins, wheezing and gasping for breath.

Kyrano reached down to grab Ben, but John stopped him. "No," he said, and the Malay man stepped back. "I'll take him."

John crouched down, hefted Ben into a fireman's carry, and rose to his feet, adjusting the man slightly on his shoulder. "Kyrano, if…something happens…" He couldn't find the words.

Laying a hand briefly on John's arm, Kyrano nodded once. John turned and walked into the portal. As it began to collapse on itself, a look of horror filled Kyrano's face as Ben's head came up behind John's back and sneered at him. Without a second thought, Kyrano sprinted into the portal just as it collapsed.