I'm so sorrrryyy! I've been so busy...and I lost the cable to the laptop. this is where I miss my desk top computer. Now don't own the thunderbirds.

Alan was waiting patiently along with his father and oldest brother Scott. It was clear that neither his father nor brother where satisfied with the report that Gordon was ok. Not until they saw the aquanaut for themselves.

But then neither was he.

They watched for the side door to open on Thunderbird Two where the red head had appeared. Alan knew that it was both John's and Virgil's doing. Saving both the commander and the field commander's time finding the aquanaut.

"Are you ok…You're not hurt anywhere?" Jeff asked holding Gordon at arm's length while looking for injuries.

"I'm fine" Gordon replied.

"Are your sure? You look a little pale" Scott said

"Again I'm fine….Virgil had already check me over" Gordon said but found himself being hugged by his father and then by Scott.

"I'm ok guys…I've been through worst" Gordon said before adding "Scott, I need my lungs to breath."

Scott lets go instantly "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Positive" Gordon said while leading both his father and older brother off the small ramp and onto the walk way where Alan was waiting.

Gordon gave Alan a smile before asking "Hi squirt, miss me?"

Alan quickly gave the aquanaut a hug "Are you really ok?"

"Oh god, not you as well" Gordon said with a smirk then saw how worried Alan had been. That was the one thing the four older Tracy brothers wanted to avoid more than anything else.

Making the youngest Tracy worry.

"Do you think you'll get rid of me that easily? I'm sorry to say this but you're stuck with four older brothers to pester you" Gordon said with a smile.

Alan return a soft smile before turning his attention to what Scott and their father where looking at. He looked down on the yellow sub that was now on the conveyer belt for everyone to see. Gordon saw Alan's mouth and eyes go wide open at the damage the sub had received before his blue eyes looked back at the aquanaut.

"If you think that's bad….you should see how much the other sub had taken" Gordon said flatly before wrapping his arm around his younger brother's shoulder then move him away from the railing.

"How's are the studies going?" Gordon asked, knowing Alan had wanted to stay behind to finish his assignment after being reassured that he wasn't needed for the rescue.

"I kind of got distracted after we lost contact with you for over thirty minutes." Alan said placing his right arm around Gordon's shoulder.

Gordon sighed before replying "You know kiddo, we really need to find you another place to study apart from Dad's office."

"If you remember correctly you were the cause of why I have to do schooling in his office."

"So I pulled a prank."

"Which involved me without a laptop and there was no way I was going to borrow anyone else's in case you planed something else."

"And if you remember I had to clean the 'Birds' One to Four inside and out."

"And the mole….don't forget the mole" Alan said smiling as he remembered.

Scott and Virgil at the time had nick picked at every speck of dirt Gordon had missed on the mole. While on the other side of the tunnelling machine John had reapplied dirt marks.

Gordon had seriously thought he had gone insane. Their father and his youngest brother had been watching the whole act. In fact their father had let it continue for quite some time before putting a stop to it (only after he had gone into his office with the youngest blonde to laugh it off).

Gordon learnt his lesson that day. John's quietness plus Scott's field commander mode, plus Virgil's creative mind means you give a reason for the older brothers to become united.

You'll be saner that way.

Gordon then moved Alan away from Thunderbird Two's hanger and into the entrance to the office with both Scott and their father closely following behind. It only just proved to the red head how scared his family had been.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was official.

She wasn't in New Zealand and it wasn't a WASP base. She had found herself in the hanger of Thunderbird Two. The sound of the conveyer belt moving had brought her attention below the ramp that connected Thunderbird Two and the main walk way that seemed to hug the sides of hanger. Her attention however was solely on her sub that was now on the conveyer belt.

In fact she didn't even notice John was standing next to her until she heard his voice.

"Come on…our commander is waiting."

Racheal quickly glanced down back at her sub seeing that it had disappeared causing her to frown.

John chuckled before saying "I'll take you down later if you need to grab anything else from it"

"No I've got what I need for the moment" Racheal said holding her laptop bag "I'm more worried about what you are going to do with my sub?"

"It will be fine…we won't hurt your baby" John said with a smile before leading her away from the hanger.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff was standing in front of his desk as Racheal entered his office. Onaha, Kyrano and Tin-Tin had taken one couch. Brains, Fermat and Alan had taken another with John joining them. Gordon, Virgil and Scott had taken chairs that had come from the balcony. Standing beside Jeff's desk was Penny.

Jeff held out his hand to Racheal which she shook.

"Jeff Tracy. On behalf of international rescue we would like to thankyou for saving Gordon today."

"Lieutenant Commander Racheal L Bell from WASP investigator unit…but for today call me Racheal and it was my pleasure."

Jeff quickly introduced her to those in the room before getting to the point.

"It appears you have some news."

"Yes Commander."

"Call me Jeff."

"Ok… Jeff, are you sure you want the trainees to hear this?" Racheal asked looking over where Alan and his friends where sitting.

"I'm afraid we can't keep it from them. I had already discussed it with their parents"

Racheal nodded before handing over her laptop bag to Penny who was getting it connected to the nearby big screen. She then turned to the group in fount of her.

"As you may…or may not have heard that three years ago Trangh Belegant…or The Hood was sentenced to death by firing squad….the execution had taken place….however it wasn't The Hood." Racheal paused.

She couldn't help but notice that the two of the three thunderbirds in training where looking a little pale. Onaha had wrapped an arm around Tin-tin's waist while Kyrano had put one hand on top of his daughter's hand. Brains had gently placed a hand on Fermat shoulder and did not remove it. A pale John had placed a hand on a very pale Alan's arm.

Racheal then looked over to Penny who had nodded her to continue.

"It was in fact Chester Helm" Racheal finished.

"Chester Helm…., wasn't he the judge who sentenced the Hood to death?" Virgil asked.

"The same man…In the report the Hood had somehow drugged the guards and had gotten them to kidnap the Judge, however it wasn't drugs. It was his mind powers….they had underestimated him…by the time a medic had pronounced Mr Helm dead the Hood had already been gone for a week….. The Vindicta had shown up six months later but wasn't conceded as a threat…two years ago they had attacked one of the WASPs subs. They are the same group that went after Thunder Bird Four this afternoon."

Racheal stopped and looked around the room seeing that they were looking over at where Gordon was sitting.

"I'm fine…Even Virgil gave me a once over" Gordon said.

"He's ok...though, if anything hurts you are going to report it straight away….promise?" Virgil said using the you-better-or-else tone.

"I promise" Gordon said holding his hands up in front are to say I-give-up motion.

Then Racheal saw the group turn their attention back to her. She hated being in the lime light.

"How long had you had this information that the hood is the Vindicta's leader?" Penny asked.

"For a week."

"Do you have an idea where he is at the moment?" Scott asked.

"His like smoke. You see him then he disappears. Even the world's top investigators are having trouble keeping track of him."

"Could it be possible that he could attack again?" Alan asked with a shaken tone while looking over to his father.

"I wish I could say no…however it's definite that he will go after International Rescue…..There are those who we are aware are loyal to the hood and those who are in for revenge" Racheal answer.

"Revenge?" Gordon questioned.

"Vindicta un salvum…means revenge the unsaved in Latin. The Hood had them believe that you could have saved their love ones"

"But we can't save everyone" Virgil said.

"Grief can make people do stupid things. They make the wrong choices and not to mention they are driven by their unstable emotions….that alone is enough for them to be easy prey to the Hood."

this will be the last update of the year as i work in retail and my hours are going to be wild for the next few weeks. Happy Holidays and happy new year. Please review.