DARK MIRROR by QUILLER RATED FRT

An old enemy threatens IR from an unexpected direction.

Warning: You will need to have read Family Ties before reading this, in order to understand certain parts of this story.

The first chapter of this story takes place almost a year after the end of Family Ties and just before the start of Scars. The rest begins the following year. All dates and ages based on Chris Bentley's 'Complete Book of Thunderbirds.'

My thanks to my friend Jude for her comments that sparked off this story, and to Purupuss and Closetfan for proofreading.

Prelude: Night Thoughts
City of Romance
Happiness
Despair
Hope
Voices in the Dark
Epilogue

Prelude: Night Thoughts

A moon that was a few days past full hung in the sky over Tracy Island. The only sounds to be heard were the lapping of waves on the beach and the wind rustling the fronds of the palm trees.

Scott Tracy sat up and gently eased himself off the bed, careful not to wake his sleeping wife. The rescue in Turkey earlier that day had meant working in a vastly different time zone, and he always felt after such a mission that he had missed out on several meals. Still, the guys had all worked well, and their father had been pleased with them, even though there had been some casualties. At one time he would have viewed any deaths as a failure, blaming himself for not having done more, but since his marriage to Elizabeth she had been trying to teach him not to judge himself so harshly.

He held his breath as Elizabeth stirred in her sleep, but she did not wake. She had had a hard time over the past few months struggling to cope with the new baby. He had done his best to help, as had the rest of the family, but as his Grandmother had told him 'No new mother ever realises quite how much work a child is until the first one arrives'.

He closed the bedroom door softly behind him and made his way to the small kitchen, where he poured himself a glass of milk. He still had trouble thinking of the apartment as 'his', even though he and Elizabeth had been using it for almost a year - it had been lived in by Tin Tin and her father since they had all moved to the island and he sometimes still expected to see Kyrano coming through the door with his soft tread. However it certainly made things easier with a young baby around, and meant they did not disturb the rest of the household if Ellen was having one of her restless nights.

Scott paused outside the door of the nursery, listening, but could detect no sound from within. Quietly he opened the door and tiptoed over to peer in the crib. The baby was fast asleep, lying with one chubby fist against her mouth. Even after several months she still took his breath away every time he looked at her. She was beautiful: so perfect, so tiny and so fragile. He felt a wave of emotions wash over him: love, pride, and a fierce desire to protect her from all the dangers of the world. He watched for a few minutes, then turned and left the room. As he returned to his own bed he was struck by a thought - had his own father ever stood and watched over him in the same way?

"You have been listening to a live performance of La Boheme from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York Next week's broadcast will be Odette/Odile, Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Swan Lake legend". As the radio announcer's voice cut in over the final applause, John climbed down from the astronomical observation tower at the top of TB5 and turned down the volume. Up here he could listen to opera as loud as he wanted - the Emergency Alert would always cut in if a call came through for International Rescue, and he didn't have to worry about any of his brothers banging on his bedroom door to complain about the noise. Though Virgil shared his taste for classical music, even he drew the line at opera, saying the soprano voices set his teeth on edge.

John often thought his parents must have wondered how they managed to have one changeling child so different from all the others. Even as a youngster, he had preferred his own company. Though the others had offered to include him in their activities he much preferred to curl up with a book - there was always so much more he wanted to learn. Still at least now he was able to be of use to his brothers, both with his skill at languages, and as the 'agony uncle' for his brothers' problems. It often struck him as ironic that he seemed to be able to sort out everyone's emotional problems except his own, a fact none of them were aware of apart from Gordon.

He had half wondered if one of his brothers would call tonight. He had known when he first received the call from the danger zone in Turkey that this would be a tough one - with earthquakes most of the casualties usually occurred in the initial tremor: after that, no matter how good the rescue equipment was, or how quickly it could get there, it was mainly a matter of luck how many victims had managed to survive under collapsed buildings. Looking at the clock he guessed they must all be fast asleep by now, so decided to turn in himself, the last notes of Mimi's aria still ringing in his ears.

Virgil lay awake, his mind still turning over the events of the day. Some of those buildings had suffered far more damage than would have been expected for their size and type. He suspect that sub-standard steel had been used in their reinforcement. He had brought samples of some of the girders back with him so that he and Brains could run some tests in the lab tomorrow. Any faults that showed up would be reported to the relevant authorities. This was sometimes the part of his job that gave Virgil the most satisfaction - Scott might enjoy the adrenaline rush of a death-defying rescue, but he found fulfilment in analysing what had gone wrong and making suggestions on how such incidents could be prevented in the future. If the rescue had involved vehicles of any kind, then the ideas could be incorporated into Tracy Transport's own vehicles, further increasing the company's reputation for safe transport.

His mind turned to a particular incident in today's rescue. Gordon had had great trouble getting one victim out from a collapsed building. The lifting balloons worked fine in conditions where the floor was not stable enough to use a jack, but they needed enough clear space above for them to operate, which proved difficult in this case. Virgil wondered if a similar device could be made to lift from below. He reached for the sketchpad that he always kept beside the bed and began jotting down a few ideas. As he worked he glanced up at the photograph beside his bed. He had called Amanda as soon as he had got back from Turkey to reassure her that everything was OK. With only two more weeks to go before the wedding, she had joked that she wanted a husband who was all in one piece.

Gordon sat upright with a start, the images from the dream still vivid in his mind. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest as he tried to slow down his breathing. He knew full well why this particular nightmare had come back to haunt him tonight. The old man, his grey beard and white turban covered with dust from the earthquake, had been pinned under a pile of rubble. He spoke no English (or had forgotten it in his fear and pain) but the terror in his eyes had needed no translation. Gordon could well identify with his feelings - after his hydrofoil accident he had spent months immobilised in a hospital bed, and that was the memory that had come back to haunt him tonight. He had tried to reassure the old guy as he worked, using touch and the tone of his voice, but the rescue had been tricky and he knew the old man had been in a bad way by the time they had managed to free him. It would be good for his own peace of mind if he could trace the old guy through hospital records and find out if he was going to be OK, but he knew it would be difficult without knowing his victim's name.

Gordon rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. It was no use - he knew he would not be able to get back to sleep in his bed tonight. Ah well, there was always the old cure. Picking up his bedclothes he let himself out through the patio door that led onto the garden and made his way down to the beach. There he made himself comfortable under one of the palm trees, where, lulled by the sound of the waves, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Alan gently released his grip on Tin Tin and laid her back down on the bed. He hesitated for a moment as she gave a little whimper, but she seemed to be quieter now. He watched her, a worried frown on his face. Her nightmares seemed to be getting more frequent: this was the third one in a week. They always took the same form - that the mysterious person who had caused her father's death was going to take control of her mind as well. "He's getting stronger, Alan" she had sobbed earlier, "I can feel him. I can't hide from him. He's coming for me, I know he is!"

Alan had not been there on the fateful night that Kyrano had died, but his father and brothers had told him what had happened, and the whole family had tried to make sense of Kyrano's dying words. They had an idea that this might be the person who had been after their secrets for so long, and had once taken both Tin Tin and Brains captive on their expedition to Lake Anasta. However since that night there had been no sign of their old adversary, and they had wondered if breaking the telepathic link he had had with Kyrano had backfired on him in some way.

None of this seemed to be of any help to Tin Tin. Her fears seemed to be increasing as the anniversary of her father's death approached. Alan wished he could get her some professional help, but with the secrecy of International Rescue at stake, the idea of seeing a counsellor or psychotherapist was out of the question. He wrapped his arms protectively around his wife's slender form. He was due to go back up to the station next week, and did not like the idea of leaving her while she was in this state of mind. He wondered if he could persuade his father to let Tin Tin accompany him on this trip.

In the long-stay ward of a mental hospital in Malaysia a man woke in the early hours of the morning. One of his eyes was missing, and his face horribly scarred as if it had been eaten away by small animals, but for the first time in nearly a year he knew who he was...

Author's Notes: The rest of the story takes place several months later, after the events of 'Scars'.

City of Romance

Jeff looked up at the beeping noise to see the eyes of the portrait at the left end of the row flashing. "Hi there, John. How was your trip?"

"Fine, thanks, Dad, no problems. I even managed to get some sleep on the flight over, so I'm feeling quite rested."

"Glad to hear it. Scott and Alan got back from the space station just after you left. Brains has settled in up there and seems quite happy, so you can go ahead and enjoy your conference."

"Thanks Dad. I'm looking forward to it. I've already seen a few of my fellow astronomers as I was checking in at the hotel. The programme looks interesting, but I might try and do a bit of sightseeing as well while I'm here."

"Yes, you do that Paris is a lovely city, especially in the spring. Have a good rest and enjoy yourself."

"I will, Dad. Bye now!"

Several hours later, John left the dining room, having had a relaxed meal with several of his colleagues. Though they frequently communicated with each other via e-mail, it was nice to get together on occasions like this just to chat. As he passed the entrance to the hotel's function room he paused at the sound of disco music. "What's going on in there?" he asked a passing waiter.

"That is one of our local dance clubs, M'sieur. They rent our hall once a week for their dances. Hotel guests are allowed free entry if you wish to join in."

John was tempted. He always enjoyed dancing, and having slept on the plane he was not really tired enough to go to bed yet. Soon he was jiving away, his looks and obvious skills on the dance floor attracting partners with ease.

After a little while he decided he needed a break, and headed for the bar located in a side room off the main hall. He walked through the door then stopped abruptly at the sight of Tin Tin sitting on a stool by the bar. A second glance showed that this was not his dear friend; this girl was probably fully Malaysian, rather than half European, but the resemblance was remarkable. Same height and build, same mouth, same hairstyle, same habit of tucking a strand of hair behind her ear...

Suddenly he realised that the girl had turned towards him. "This is very flattering," she said in a voice that sounded so familiar, "I don't usually get this sort of reaction from men."

John found himself blushing. "I do apologise. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that you look so like a friend of mine, you could be her sister."

She looked at him carefully. "That's all right, John."

"How did you know my name?" John asked, his voice wary.

"You're John Tracy, and you're here for the International Astronomical Conference. It says so on your badge." The girl smiled and pointed to his shirt pocket. "My name's Phin Li Barak"

John looked down and laughed. "Oh, yes, I'd forgotten I was wearing that. The hotel people gave it to me when I booked in and suggested we wear them while we're in the hotel."

"Aren't you a bit young to be an astronomer? I don't think any of the ones I've seen have been under fifty!"

John laughed again. "Well, we're not born old." Then he thought for a moment and gave an impish grin, "though in the case of some of my colleagues, maybe they were." He looked at the girl. "How about you, are you staying here, or have you just come in for the dance?"

"I'm on holiday. I actually won this trip in a competition: an 'all expenses paid holiday for two at a luxury hotel in Paris'. But the friend who was supposed to come with me had to drop out because her mother was taken ill, so I'm here on my own, which is not quite so much fun, but I'm still determined to make the most of my trip."

"In that case," said John, holding out his hand, "would you like to dance?".

The following morning John was finding it hard to concentrate on the lectures. He had spent most of the evening dancing with Phin Li, and the image of her dark, pretty eyes kept straying into his mind. When it came to the lunch break he decided he could do with some exercise. Even on the space station he rarely spent a whole morning sitting still, so he grabbed a towel and swimwear from his room and headed down to the hotel's indoor pool.

He had just completed a couple of lengths when he heard his name called, and looked up to see Phin Li slipping in to the water.

She swam over to him. "Hallo again. How's the conference going?"

"Fine, thanks. How come you're not out sightseeing today?"

She gave him a withering look. "Don't you realise, it's been pelting with rain all morning? Nobody told me Paris had a monsoon season. I've spent the last couple of hours in the hotel's beauty salon, having my nails done. I suppose astronomers never look at the sky when it's daylight."

John gave a look of mock horror. "Daylight? What's that? During the day we are to be found in the roof spaces of houses, hanging upside down from the rafters." He pointed to his light brown skin. "This isn't a tan, you know, it's protective colouration to blend in with the woodwork."

"And the hair?" she replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"That's to match the sawdust on the floor." They both collapsed into fits of giggles.

They spent some time swimming together and chatting, until John suddenly noticed the time. "I'd better go or I'll miss the next lecture." He looked at Phin Li, realising how much he was enjoying her company. "If it has stopped raining, would you like to go for a walk later? I could meet you in the lobby at 5.30."

Phin Li smiled, "Yes, that would be nice. See you later, then." She watched him walk towards the changing rooms, admiring his slender figure and the way he moved.

They strolled along the banks of the Seine, from where they could point out to each other many of the famous landmarks of the city. It seemed quite a natural thing to do to hold hands as they walked. Eventually they stopped for supper at a small restaurant overlooking the river. The evening seemed to flow by, and once back at the hotel, Phin Li put her arms round John's neck. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, John."

Their kiss was slow and lingering, and left a sweet taste on John's lips.

The following day John headed for the pool at lunchtime again, but there was no sign of Phin Li. That afternoon he came to a decision. At six o'clock he was in his room when the phone rang.

"Hi there," came Phin Li's silvery voice.

"Hi yourself. Have you been sightseeing today?"

"Yes, I took an excursion to Versailles. It was so beautiful, and all the guides are dressed in eighteenth century costume and talk as if they were the ladies of the court."

"Sounds like you had a good time. Did you get my note?"

"Yes, what did you want to tell me?"

"Two things. Firstly, the conference is over now, but I've decided to stay on in Paris for a couple of extra days. Secondly, can you be ready to go out by seven o'clock? You might want to wear your best dress, but bring something warm as well, because I gather it can get a bit cold where we're going.'

"Ooh, that sounds mysterious. OK, see you down in the lobby."

An hour later they met downstairs.

John took in the sight of Phin Li in a pale blue, figure-hugging, Chinese style dress. "You look stunning," he said, as they went outside and climbed into a waiting taxi. "I'm going to be the envy of every man in the place tonight."

"Where are we going?" she queried.

John pointed. "Up there." He leaned forward and spoke to the taxi driver. "Eiffel tower, si vous plait, m'sier."

Phin Li gave a small cry. "John, that's supposed to be really expensive."

John smiled at her. "You're worth it."

After supper they stood on the observation platform looking out over the city.

"This is certainly turning into a memorable holiday," said Phin Li.

"For both of us," replied John, putting his arms around her. "When I think I nearly didn't attend this conference."

"And if I hadn't won that competition, I wouldn't be here either. Fate does seem to have brought us together." They kissed again, not minding the crowds around them. After all, Paris was the city of lovers.

Back at the hotel they headed by mutual consent for John's room. Their love-making was tender and passionate. Eventually Phin Li lay in the darkness, listening until the rhythm of John's breathing told her that he was asleep. Careful not to wake him, she moved out from under the arm that he had flung across her body and sat up.

She looked down at him for a moment, a small smile playing across her lips. Then, putting her fingertips to her temples she concentrated in the way she had been taught. "Father? Father, I have him. He is mine now."

And from deep within her mind, a guttural voice replied. "You have done well, my daughter. Bring him to me!"

Happiness

The sound of running water was coming from the bathroom. John rolled over in bed so he was facing the other way and lifted his watch.

"John calling Gordon. John calling Gordon. Come in Gordon."

His brother's face appeared on the screen. "Hi there, John. I didn't wake you when I called earlier, did I? Dad told us you were staying on a few days more, so I wondered how your trip was going."

John shook his head, a smile on his lips. "No, but there was someone with me. She's taking a shower now, so I can talk."

Gordon's eyebrows rose as he digested this information. "That's quick work for you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" answered John, somewhat sharply.

"You can't have known this girl more than a couple of days. You're usually the cautious one. 'Think first, act later', isn't that what you always tell me? What's she like? She must be something really special."

John smiled again. "You'll never believe this, but she's the image of Tin Tin! I thought she was Tin Tin the first time I saw her!"

"Ah, now I understand."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" John was finding his brother exceptionally irritating this morning.

"Look, bro', I know this is none of my business, but are you really being fair to this girl?" Gordon was the only one who knew how John really felt about Alan's wife.

John bristled. "You're right, it is none of your business. The fact that Phin Li looks like Tin Tin may be what attracted me in the first place, but there's a lot more to it than that. She's a lovely girl, she's delightful company and she makes me laugh."

"OK, calm down. I didn't mean to upset you." He paused and looked at his brother. "This doesn't sound like you at all, John. Are you all right?"

"I'll tell you why it doesn't sound like me." John was still keeping his voice low, but now his tone had a bitter edge to it. "That's because this is the first time you've ever seen me happy. I've been happy for all of you, but this time I'm actually happy for myself. You've all got partners now, why should I be the only one left on my own?"

"What was that, John, did you say something?" Phin Li walked into the room dressed in a bathrobe, rubbing her hair with a towel. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were on the phone."

At the sound of her voice, John's mood changed abruptly. He looked round at her. "Hey, Phin Li, come and say 'hi' to my brother Gordon."

Gordon was startled at this. The fact that their watches doubled as phones was usually kept a secret from those outside the family.

Phin Li climbed on the bed and leaned over John's shoulder, putting her arm around his neck. "Hi there, Gordon. So you're the one who is always playing tricks on poor John?"

Gordon nodded. "Yup, that's me." Gordon noticed the way John's expression had changed with Phin Li's arrival. He started to get the feeling he was intruding. "Well, I'd better go now. Lots to do here, you know. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Paris!"

As Gordon's face was replaced by the watch dial, Phin Li looked closer. "So your watch is a phone? That's a neat trick!"

"Yes," said John, "it was something a friend and I designed." He turned and put his arms round her. "Do you want to go down to breakfast?"

"On the other hand," she said as she kissed his neck, "maybe we could get room service to bring something up."

John couldn't remember ever having been so happy. When Phin Li suggested that afternoon during a trip to the Louvre that they cut short their stay in Paris and leave that evening to visit her father in Algeria, he was happy to agree. He was content to let her make all the travel arrangements, and handle all the tickets and passports. So happy that when they checked in at the airport he did not even notice that the passport she was handing over for him at Customs had a red cover instead of the usual navy blue.

However, as the plane was climbing into the skies Phin Li noticed that John wore a pensive look on his face and that he was rubbing the fingers of his right hand across his left wrist.

"Is something the matter, John?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. You know when you get that feeling that there's something you've forgotten to do, or forgotten to bring?"

Phin Li turned to face him. "I shouldn't worry about it, John. If there's something we need we can always get it later." She smiled and leaned closer. "After all, we've got each other. What more could we possibly want?"

John looked into her dark eyes and smiled. She was right, of course. Nothing else mattered but the smell of her scent, the silky touch of her hair, the sweet taste of her lips.....

"John," then in a firmer tone, "John, we're in public here."

John sat back, then nestled down so his head was resting on her shoulder. He was happy.

They had left Paris in the early evening but by the time they had landed at Algiers, cleared Customs and picked up the 4x4 vehicle that Phin Li had arranged for them it was after midnight.

John had offered to drive, but Phin Li assured him that it would be better if she drove. After several hours they were travelling across the Sahara and just as the sky was beginning to turn pale in the east they pulled up in front of a grey, forbidding stone building. A gate opened in the wall in front of them and they drove in and parked in a courtyard.

In the dim light John could see a man barring the gate behind them. He crossed the courtyard towards them, his arms flung wide. "Welcome, my daughter! Welcome John Tracy! Please come in to my humble home."

One side of the courtyard was lined with buildings, and John followed Phin Li and her father into a room at ground level. The room was sparsely furnished with a couple of large tables, scarred from much use, some benches and a large cupboard with the door hanging askew. Some cartons of food stood on one of the tables, but the whole place had an air of neglect and dilapidation.

"I must apologise for the surroundings. One tends to live frugally in the desert and I did not have much warning of your visit. But please, have something to drink. You must be thirsty after your long drive." He picked up a jug that had been standing on the table and poured a glass for each of them. "I think you will find this juice quite refreshing."

John sipped the juice gratefully. He could not identify the fruit, but the flavour was sweet, and cool on the parched tissues of his mouth and throat. While he drank he looked at his host. He was not at all how John how imagined Phin Li's father would be. This man was quite stocky, with greying hair and bushy eyebrows. Dressed in a loose fitting shirt, khaki trousers and boots, he wore a knife stuck in his belt. The most striking feature was the patch that covered his left eye.

The man raised his own glass to his lips then lowered it to speak. "I trust you had a good journey?"

John waited for Phin Li to reply but she remained silent. He guessed she must be feeling tired after the long drive. "Yes, thank you," he answered. He looked around him. "This is an interesting place. It looks quite old."

The man laughed. "Old by your standards, my young American friend. It was built by the French Foreign Legion nearly two hundred years ago. It has been standing empty for the last fifty years, so I have adopted it for my own use."

"Phin Li tells me you are studying the insect life of the desert?"

"Yes, many people think the desert is devoid of life, but it is not. It is simply devoid of people, and that suits my purpose well."

John suddenly realised how tired he was feeling. The long journey must be starting to catch up with him as well. He rubbed a hand across his face, and felt himself sway slightly.

"Ah, I see the drug is starting to take effect," said the other, a note of triumph in his voice.

Drug? John was suddenly aware of the sweet taste of the fruit juice in his mouth. He'd been drugged? He turned to Phin Li for support, but she stepped away from his outstretched hand and went to stand beside her father. Her face remained devoid of expression as she watched John topple senseless to the floor.

Author's Notes: This is where it starts getting nasty. PG-13 rating now in full effect.

Despair

Jeff looked with distaste at the button on the desk in front of him. Noises from various parts of the house, and from the pool below, indicated that his family were all going about their business without a care. Once he pressed this button that would all end. He reached out his finger and the klaxon sounded.

He was just putting through a call to Brains in Thunderbirds 5 as the last of his sons assembled. "What have you got for us, Father?" asked Scott, puzzled as to why Jeff was calling the space station. Usually it was the other way round.

Jeff turned to face his family, his expression grave. " Boys, there's no easy way to say this. It seems John has been abducted."

Amid a chorus of gasps, Jeff continued. "John didn't make his normal check-in this morning. I gave him a few hours, then I asked Brains to locate him through his watch. The watch was still registering at the same location in Paris, but there were no biosigns, so either he wasn't wearing it or..." he let the sentence hang.

"But John is a stickler for wearing his watch. He's the one who nags the rest of us about it!" exclaimed Virgil.

"Exactly," continued Jeff. "So I rang the hotel. They told me he had checked out of there late yesterday afternoon, Paris time. I contacted our agent in Paris. He went to the hotel and found John's watch tucked down behind the bed in his room. He also talked to the staff. The staff on reception told him that John walked out hand-in-hand with a girl. He didn't seem to be coerced in any way. The doorman heard the girl ask the taxi to take them to the airport."

"Did they catch a plane?" cut in Scott. "We should be able to trace them through airline records."

Jeff shook is head. "Here is where the mystery deepens. There is no record of either John or this girl, whose name is Phin Li Barak, on any flight. There is no record of either of them buying a plane ticket, or going through Customs."

"Maybe they had a private plane?" suggested Scott.

"They'd still have needed to go through passport control," put in Alan.

"However they did it, the trail ends at the airport." Jeff looked grim, " and if they were using false passports, and a false credit card, then a lot of planning has gone into this."

"How would anyone have known John would be there?" queried Virgil.

"John chats all the time with his astronomer friends on internet bulletin boards. You don't necessarily need to be an astronomer to sign on," replied Alan. "He only had to mention that he was attending the conference for someone to pick up on it."

"However they knew isn't the issue now," continued Jeff "I've just heard back from our agent in Malaysia. I asked her to find out all she could about this Phin Li, using the address in the hotel register. She told me that the girl was born in a small town, had a good education and became a teacher of English in a local school. She seems to have lived a perfectly normal life until three months ago, when she suddenly disappeared. The school were worried, as this was very unlike her, and contacted the police. She was listed as a missing person, though the police became less concerned when it was revealed she had taken a suitcase and some clothes. She has no known relatives, as her only relative, her mother, died several years ago. The police decided she had simply walked out of her old life, to begin a new one somewhere else."

"Either that, or someone abducted her as well, and is now using her identity," suggested Scott.

"Do you have a photograph of her?" asked Gordon. His father pressed a button and a photo appeared on the screen behind his desk Gordon looked closely. "Yes, that's definitely the girl I saw in John's room."

"You saw this girl?" asked Jeff, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Yes, I called him yesterday morning, his time. At first I got the 'busy' signal, then he called back a little while later. He'd been with this Phin Li, but he called back while she was in the shower. Then when she came out he called her over to introduce her." He broke off, pounding the air with his clenched fists. "I knew there was something wrong when I talked to him, I just knew it. Why didn't I say anything? That girl has bewitched him!"

"What do you mean?" asked his father.

"Why else would John just walk out of there without telling us where he was going, without wearing his watch?"

Jeff turned to the screen behind him. "What do you think, Brains?"

"W-well, if it s-seems that he left the hotel apparently of his own f-free will, but behaving in such an unch-characteristic m-manner, then maybe we should consider s-some form of hypnosis m-might have been used."

"The question is," said Virgil, "has John been kidnapped by crooks wanting a ransom, or is this connected with International Rescue?"

"Dad," said Scott, "let me take off in Thunderbird One. I could be in Paris in just over an hour."

Jeff shook his head. "I don't see how that will help, son. We're pretty sure they have left Paris, we just don't know where they've gone. Until we hear from these kidnappers there's no way we can find out. I've alerted all our agents, but apart from that there's nothing we can do but wait." And if there was one thing Jeff hated, it was waiting.

John stirred in his sleep, realising how hot he was. He must have dozed off in the sun. In a minute, when he'd woken up properly, he would take a dip in the pool. Maybe he would go and get a drink first. Yes, that sounded a good idea: iced tea perhaps, or some of his grandmother's home-made lemonade. He ran his tongue over his parched lips.

He tried to sit up, and found that he could not. Something poked him hard in the ribs.

"I see you are awake, my young friend," said a voice, giving an unpleasant laugh.

Reality came flooding back. John opened his eyes, then squinted against the bright glare of the sun. He looked round to see that he was lying spread-eagled in the courtyard of the fort, his wrists and ankles tied to stakes that had been hammered into the hard-packed sand. His captor was standing over him, with Phin Li a little way off.

John looked up. "Who are you?"

"That, my young friend is a good question, and one that has several answers. I am the master criminal known as the Hood. I am half-brother to that fool you knew as Kyrano. And to you, I am your nemesis!" He aimed another kick at John's side. "For years I have dreamed of having one of your accursed family at my mercy, and this time there is no lake full of treasure to distract me from my goal. The secrets of International Rescue will be mine!"

"Never," said John through gritted teeth as he received another kick. He was not going to give this man the satisfaction of crying out.

"Oh, but you will, my friend. I may not have the powers I once had, but I am sure a couple of days lying in the sun will weaken your resolve. I have been planning my revenge for a long time, for all the times your family has thwarted my schemes and for what my brother did to me. Let me show you what he did!"

The Hood pulled off his eye-patch, then, reaching under his chin, peeled back what John suddenly realised was a mask. John gasped at the sight of the face that was revealed. The Hood's head was smooth, and the eyebrow on the right side thick and bushy, but the left side of his face was hideously scarred, with an empty eye socket.

The Hood pointed to his face. "This is what your meek and gentle Kyrano did to me. I was trying to bend him to my will, and to escape he took his own life. In revenge, he tore through my mind, ripping it apart. I lay in a stupor for days while rats gnawed at my face and my servants, thinking me dead, made off with my wealth. If a party of back-packers had not come across my temple hide-out and decided to explore, I would have died. As it was, I lay in a hospital for a year, not knowing who I was. Eventually, I gained control of my mind again. I had lost my powers, and most of my wealth, but none of my hatred for International Rescue and the Tracy family." This was punctuated by another kick, causing John to jerk against his bonds.

"So I had to find another way to get my revenge. I tried to tap into my niece's mind, but failed - perhaps our relationship is too distant. Then I began to wonder. As a young man, I had had certain needs, needs which I had no trouble getting the girls in the nearby village to satisfy. I wondered if any of the seed I had spread had borne fruit, so I started to search. Eventually I found Phin Li. She had inherited from her paternal grandmother the same looks as her accursed cousin, Tin Tin, and had also inherited from me some of my powers, a fact of which she was totally unaware. I was able to draw on these powers for my own use and train her to do my bidding. When I found you would be attending that conference in Paris, I gave her a false set of memories and sent her there to meet you. Deep within her mind I implanted a second personality which would take over when the time was ripe and manipulate you, just as I was manipulating her."

John thought back over his actions of the last twenty-four hours. What a fool he had been! He looked at Phin Li, not knowing whether to hate her or pity her.

The Hood followed his gaze. "Yes, my daughter has proved to be very talented indeed, and now totally under my control. Allow me to demonstrate" He pulled the knife out of his belt and handed it to Phin Li, gesturing down to John. "Cut him," he ordered.

As Phin Li bent closer, John searched her face for any sign of expression, but her features were a blank. The pupils of her eyes that yesterday had been such deep pools were now shrunk to tiny pinpricks. She put the knife against his neck, just below his ear. "Phin Li, no!" he whispered, but he did not appear to hear him. He felt the prick of the knife, and a trickle of blood ran down his neck.

"You see, she will do whatever I ask. Maybe I should ask her to cut your eye out. 'An eye, for an eye', that is the saying, is it not?" The point of the blade moved across John's face. "Or she would take her own eye out, if I asked her. You would do that for me, would you not, my daughter?"

"Yes, Father," answered Phin Li, in a dull tone, turning the knife so it was pointing at her own eye.

"No!" cried John, jerking against his bonds. "Leave her alone! It's me you want, not her. Let her go!"

"Yes, I could let her go," said the Hood, musing. "I could open the gates and tell her to walk out of here. She could walk for a week before she found any human contact, but of course, she would be dead long before that. Vultures and jackals would feast on her flesh, and her bones would lie whitening in the sun, until they were covered by the sand." John could not repress a shudder at the thought. "But no, I shall keep her here. I have no other servants, so she can fetch and carry for me." He looked down at John. "Maybe she will have other uses, in persuading you. You seem to be fond of her. I am sure you would not want any harm to come to the girl you met in Paris."

Taking Phin Li by the shoulders, he turned her to face him, and stared at her for a minute, before turning her round again so she was looking down at John.

John saw her eyes widen and her face take on a look of horror. "John! What's going on? Who has done this to you?" She crouched beside him, her hands reaching for the ropes that tied him.

A shadow fell across John's body from the other side. "Phin Li, look at me!"

"No, don't!" whispered John, but it was too late. He watched the emotion drain out of the girl's face as she climbed to her feet and stood back.

"What is it that you want?" asked John.

"I want the secrets of the Thunderbird machines, so I can sell them to the highest bidder. I want the location and security codes of your secret hideout so I can descend on it with an army and kill all of your detested family, in payment for the trouble they have given me in the past. My niece I shall kill last, and most painfully, in revenge for what her father did to me. Perhaps I shall get Phin Li to kill her for me. Yes, I think that would amuse me."

"I'll see you in hell first!" said John.

"We shall see, my young friend, we shall see. A couple of days will tell if your iron will can be melted with the heat of the sun. Farewell, my friend. We shall talk again at sunset." Gesturing for Phin Li to follow him, he entered one of the buildings, leaving John under the sun's relentless glare.

Hope

It was early morning on Tracy Island as Tin Tin made her way into the orchid garden. Last night had been hard on everybody's nerves. By common consent the other girls had taken the children and gathered in the Round House for mutual comfort and support, but she had decided to remain with the Tracy family. She had known them since she was small and loved them all, and it distressed her to see them under so much strain.

Jeff had sat at his desk, leaning his folded arms on its surface while he stared at nothing. Scott paced up and down like a caged lion. Virgil sat at his piano, not playing but occasionally stroking one of the keys as if the touch brought him comfort. Alan had sat with his arm round his grandmother, though who was deriving most benefit from the gesture, it was hard to say. Gordon simply stared at John's portrait, willing it to come to life and give some news of his brother. No-one had wanted any supper, and eventually Jeff had ordered them all to bed, though Tin Tin was sure nobody had managed to sleep.

Now in the early morning, Tin Tin had come into the garden to try and compose herself, ready for another day. She would need to find some inner calm and strength in order to help those she considered her family through the day ahead.

She always felt most at peace here, surrounded by the orchids that her father had grown. His ashes had been scattered here, and this was where she came if she wanted to feel close to him. She arranged herself in the lotus position and began to slow her breathing and empty her mind, as her father had taught her, so long ago. Gradually she began to relax, as the turmoil in her mind stilled. She thought of her father, who had always been a tower of quiet strength during difficult times.

"Oh father," she thought, "I wish you were with us now."

Then a voice in her mind spoke. "I am here, my child."

"Father?" Tin Tin's tranquillity was nearly shattered. She concentrated on maintaining her slow breathing, and keeping her mind open. "Father, is that you?"

"Yes, my daughter I am here. I have always been here for you, though you have not needed me before."

"Father, there is terrible news. Poor John..." Tin Tin did not know how to continue.

"I know, my child. My evil brother has taken him. He needs our help."

"But how can we help him? We do not even know where he is."

"I can take you there. We must go on a journey of the mind. With my help, you can do it."

A thought struck Tin Tin, causing her to recoil. "You mean to go into the mind of your brother, my uncle, the man who killed you? No! I cannot! Do not ask that of me!" Her composure crumbling, she was suddenly aware of the sounds and smells of the garden around her once more.

"No, I would not ask that of you. There is another we can use. Do not fear, my child. I will protect you, as I have been protecting you from my brother ever since I died. Come with me. I will be your guide, and your shield." Tin Tin could see her father in her mind; not old and grey as he had been in his last years, but young, strong and upright, as she remembered him from her childhood.

"I will protect you too, little one." A woman was standing beside her father, a woman with European features and brown curly hair. A woman Tin Tin had only ever seen in photographs. The woman who had died when she was born.

"Mother?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, my darling. You have grown into a beautiful young woman. I, too, have been watching you, and we will not let any harm come to you."

"To you, or to our grandson that you are bearing." Another woman had appeared beside her mother. This one Tin Tin recognised from photographs that Alan had shown her. This was the boys' mother, Lucille. The woman smiled. "Didn't you realise you were expecting a child? Can't you feel him?"

Tin Tin turned inwards, searching. Yes, deep in her mind, a little spark of life. She touched it gently and it responded with feelings of love and contentment.

The image of Kyrano stretched out his hand. "Come my child. We have a long journey ahead of us, but we will keep you safe."

Tin Tin opened her eyes to realise she was sitting on a bench beside a battered old table in a dimly lit, stuffy room with stone walls. A jug and some glasses stood on the table. One glass was empty, the other two had dead flies floating on the surface of some pale liquid.

Looking down at herself she could see a cream blouse and pale blue slacks, and the hand she held up in front of her face was brown, with long slim fingers, like her own. This must be the girl who had taken John from the hotel in Paris, she supposed. She pulled open the thick, wooden door and the heat from outside hit her like a wave. The courtyard in front of her was now in shadow, but had obviously trapped the heat of the sun during the day. To her left a flight of steps led up past an upper storey to a walkway around the top of the walls.

She climbed the steps as quietly as she could, hoping the view from the top would give some clues as to her surroundings. At the top she looked over the wall at desert. Miles of desert, stretching in all directions. In the west, the setting sun was just touching the top of a line of hills, but there were no other landmarks. She looked around at the structure where she stood. Some old military building, she presumed; square in shape, with a tower at each corner, though now apparently derelict. The tower nearest her had a flagpole broken off at twice her height. She turned to look into the courtyard below and caught her breath at the sight of John lying staked out in the centre of the square.

She ran down the stairs and over to him. His eyes were nearly swollen shut, his lips cracked and dry, and his normally fair skin reddened and blistered.

He turned his head at the sound of her approach. " Phin Li! You got away!" his voice was little more than a harsh whisper. "Quick, untie me, before he finds us."

Tin Tin was already fumbling with the knots, but John's earlier struggles had pulled them tight.

Suddenly there came a voice. "What are you doing? Get away from him!" To John's dismay, Phin Li had gone rigid at the first sound of her father's voice, and now stood and backed away. The Hood looked at her. "Go back inside and wait until I give you further instructions." The girl turned and walked away as the Hood bent and tightened the ropes once more. John bit back a cry as the ropes cut into the blistered skin of his wrists.

The Hood straightened up and looked at his captive. "So, my young friend, how do you feel after a day in the sun? Are you ready to talk yet?"

"I'd rather die first," John managed to croak out.

"Maybe you would, my brave young man. Maybe I am doing this the wrong way. Perhaps tomorrow I should bring Phin Li out here to lie beside you. You may not talk to save your own skin, but it might be different if you are watching her suffer as well. We will see if that will change your mind in the morning." With that he turned on his heel and left John alone in the growing twilight.

Tin Tin found herself back in the orchid garden, gasping for breath. The sound of the Hood's voice had snapped her back into her own body with a jolt. She thought back over what she had seen. She had certainly found John and now knew what peril he was in, but how could that help them to rescue him?

She took deep breaths, wondering how long she had been in her trance. Not long, she thought, looking at the long shadows that the early morning sun was still casting in the garden.

The sun...

She scrambled to her feet and ran towards the house. "Mr Tracy! I think I know how to find John!"

The family gathered around to hear her story. It was a measure of how desperate they were that no-one questioned its validity.

Jeff touched a few keys on the computer. "If we use the terminator line of the setting sun to give us the longitude, that puts the location somewhere in the western Sahara. Brains! Do we have maps detailed enough to show any structures in that area?"

Up on Thunderbird 5 Brains was bringing up maps on his screens. "Allowing for s-some slight delay in the t-time factor I c-calculate there are three p-possible sites." He transferred the co-ordinates down to Jeff's screen.

Tin Tin looked closer. "Not that one," she said, pointing. "There's a road running next to it, and I didn't see any roads at all"

"So that leaves two possibilities," said Scott, frowning.

"Yes," put in Virgil, "but I bet only one of them will have a broken flagpole."

"OK boys," said Jeff, sounding decisive for the first time since John had gone missing. "Here's what we're going to do."

Voices in the Dark

John shivered. When the sun had set he had welcomed the respite from its fierce rays, but now the cold was beginning to bite. He remembered reading that temperatures in the Sahara could drop below freezing at night. He lay looking up at the sky, trying to make out the constellations through eyes swollen from the sun's glare. At least it kept his mind off his parched mouth and aching body.

Suddenly he was aware of someone beside him. A woman, bathed in golden light, was bending over him. With gentle fingers she brushed the hair back from his forehead. 'My poor boy. What has that man done to you?'

"M-mother?"

'Don't worry, Johnny. You won't have much longer to wait.'

She vanished, leaving John with confused thoughts. Did that mean he was dying? Maybe: he thought he would prefer to die under the stars rather than in the heat of the sun. At least then his family and the secrets of International Rescue would be safe from the Hood.

John was not sure how long he lay there, hovering on the verge of consciousness. Then there was a hiss of air, followed by a thud: another hiss, another thud, then –

"Here he is." Wasn't that Alan's voice?

"God, look at the state he's in." That sounded like Gordon. Two figures with hugely misshapen heads bent over him, blocking out the starlight. Aliens using his brothers' voices? He must be hallucinating again. But no, they were cutting his bonds.

"John, can you hear me?" Gordon's voice again. "We've come to get you out of here."

He moaned as they raised him to a sitting position. "Hang in there, John," said Alan "we know you hurt, but we've got to get you away as quickly as possible. All hell will be breaking loose here in a couple of minutes. Can you get your arms round our shoulders?"

John did as he was told and was half dragged, half carried to the far side of the compound. There his brothers took firm hold and activated their jet-packs, lifting them all over the wall.

Gordon and Alan pushed back their night-vision goggles. Alan lit a torch while Gordon propped John against his chest and produced a bottle of water. John had never felt such a beautiful sensation as the life-giving fluid tricking into his mouth. "Steady there," said his brother as he tried to take a mouthful and ended up coughing. "Brains warned us we'd have to do this slowly. Your throat is too dry to swallow properly."

Alan meanwhile had been checking his brother for injuries. He lifted his wristcomm. "We've got him Dad! He's pretty dehydrated and burned, and he might have some cracked ribs, but I think he's going to be OK."

"Have you found out who we're dealing with yet?" Scott's voice came over the link.

"No, just about to do that. Hold on." Alan turned to John. "John, we need some information. Just nod or shake your head. Now, we know there are at least two people in the fort. Are there any more?" John shook his head and Alan continued. "Was this a kidnapping for ransom or..." he paused. John was shaking his head vehemently.

"No. Hood." Somehow he managed to get the word out.

Both boys nodded grimly to hear the name of their old enemy. Alan lifted his wristcomm again. "Dad, John confirms there are only two people in the fort - and one of them is the Hood."

"That fiend has attacked my family for the last time." John had never heard his father sound so ferocious. "I'm going to blast him and that girl to kingdom come!"

"No! Phin Li! Save her!"

"But John, she's the one who kidnapped you!" said Gordon, puzzled.

John shook his head, struggling desperately to make his cracked lips and swollen tongue form the words. Somehow he must make his brothers understand.

"Puppet...hypnotised...no choice"

"Are you trying to tell us that she wasn't a free agent?" queried Gordon. John nodded.

"Hang on a minute, Dad, John's got some more information for us. It seems the girl is innocent. He thinks we should save her."

"Is he sure about this?' came Scott's voice. "you know what the Hood is like for laying traps."

John grasped Alan's sleeve, ignoring the pain from his blistered fingers. "Alan, she's Tin Tin's cousin!"

Alan spoke to his watch. "John's pretty adamant about this. I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Give me two minutes to get her out."

"FAB," came his brother's reply, "but no more than that. I don't want this bastard getting away from us this time."

As Alan jetted to the top of the wall he reflected on Scott's tone. His brother was in his full beat-the-playground-bully mode. The last time he had heard that was when two crooks had stolen Alan's racing car, leaving him and his grandmother to die on the San Miguel bridge. Scott had chased the villains, driving them off the road.

At the top of the wall, Alan paused on the walkway, adjusting his goggles to infra-red. "I can see two signals," he said into his wristcomm, "one strong signal on the upper floor and a weaker one down at ground level. I'm going to assume that the weaker one is the girl."

"Leave your wristcomm on transmit," came his father's voice; "any sign of trouble and we'll be right there."

Alan dropped down to the ground and ran across the courtyard. Entering the downstairs room he could see the girl sitting in the dark. Even with the night goggles he could see the resemblance to Tin Tin. She made no reaction to the sound of the door opening.

"Come on, Miss, you have to come with me," said Alan.

"My father told me to wait here for his instructions" she answered, without emotion.

"Well, my father has different instructions." He hesitated, then, pulling her to her feet, bent and scooped her up in his arms. She made no struggle, much to his relief. A couple of times he had had to use his fists to knock some sense into male rescue victims who had become hysterical during a rescue, but he had never had to hit a woman yet, and did not want to start with this one. He ran across the courtyard, reaching for the button on his jet-pack. This girl was so light the equipment would be able to lift both of them. A moment later he had landed beside his brothers.

John reached for Phin Li's hand but she did not react to his touch.

"OK, Dad, I'm back. Send in the cavalry."

John heard the sound of engines and turned to see Firefly emerging from behind a sand-dune.

"There goes Dad," said Gordon by way of explanation, as Firefly's cannon blasted away the gates of the fort.

A scream of jets overhead was followed by the rattle of machine-gun fire as the silhouette of Thunderbird One blotted out the stars. "And here's our big brother," added Alan.

In a few minutes the two mighty machines had reduced the buildings inside the compound to rubble. Jeff, his mouth set in a grim line, scanned the site with infra-red but could detect no signs of life. He walked over to the group by the wall as Thunderbird Two landed nearby. "Let's get away from this place."

Come on John," whispered Gordon as Virgil came towards them with a stretcher, "we're taking you home."

Epilogue

Phin Li has been installed in a care home, where John visits her every month. He hopes each time to see some glimpse of the girl he met in Paris, but without success. The best psychiatrists in their field have been able to get nothing from her apart from "I am waiting for instructions from my father." Phin Li will eat, wash and dress herself when told to do so, but the rest of the time just sits quietly in a corner of the lounge. A television is always on for those residents who can make sense of it. No-one has ever noticed that whenever International Rescue is mentioned on the news, the fingers in her lap clench into fists, while in the deep recesses of her mind a fragment of the Hood's soul rants and raves.