Archive of Our Own

Work Text

THE heat was intense. The sun shone brightly in the sky. The only sound that could be heard in the vast wilderness that made up and surrounded Gran Roca Ranch was the distant sound of a screech from a bird of prey looking for a mate - or most likely a meal.The silence wasn't to last for the sound of fast-galloping hooves began to gradually get louder. From behind an outcrop of rock, five horses came racing around, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. The five Tracy brothers were having a race. Scott was in the lead, Gordon was in second, Virgil was in third, John in fourth and Alan was bringing up the rear."KEEP UP, ALAN!" Scott called back cheekily."YEAH, BRO!" jeered Gordon. "YOU FALL ANY FURTHER BEHIND AND WE'LL BE LAPPING YOU!""KNOCK IT OFF, WILL YOU?!" retorted Alan. He was annoyed. When racing fast cars he was a champion. Had won more armature rally races than he had fingers. And yet when it came to horse racing, he was always coming last. Thunder, his horse, was a thoroughbred like the other four, yet he couldn't seem to make her run as fast as they could go.Virgil and John weren't quite so tormenting. "COME ON, ALAN!" John called back. "USE SOME OF MOM'S RACING TECHNIQUES!""IT'LL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!" Virgil added.But Alan didn't take this as a friendly piece of advice. To him, they were all simply making fun of him for being last. "COME…ON!" Alan said furiously to the horse. "WHY ARE YOU SO USELESS?"Thunder didn't seem to take kindly to being insulted. He lowered his head and bolted forwards. Alan gave a yelp as he was almost thrown off his back.Scott, Gordon, Virgil and John all did a double-take each when Thunder came charging past them at almost twice their speed."Jeepers!" exclaimed Gordon. "WHAT YOU DO TO MAKE HIM DO THAT, AL?"But Alan didn't answer Gordon's question. He'd gone from looking angry to terrified - a change that was noticed by Scott. "Oh, no, he's in trouble!" Scott said. "ALAN, HANG ON!" He urged his own horse, Zap, to increase speed and set off in pursuit. Gordon, Virgil and John quickly caught on and also followed.Alan did his best to try and slow Thunder down but it made no difference. Thunder was in a foul mood and didn't seem to care where he went. He left the plotted race track and began sprinting towards a nearby ravine."WHERE'S HE GOING?!" John shouted to his brothers."I DON'T THINK HE'S IN CONTROL ANYMORE!" Gordon realised.And then it happened. Alan finally realised where he was heading for and pulled back on the reigns. "WOAAAAAAHH!" he cried.Thunder neighed loudly. He too seemed to have realised the approaching danger and tried skidding to a stop. He managed to stop a few inches from the edge of the ravine, but Alan did not. With a terrified scream, he was thrown over the horse's head and over the edge."ALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" 5!4!3!2!1!"Thunderbirds Are Go!" "A COWBOY CHRISTMAS""ALAN!"Alan jerked awake and sat bolt upright on his bedroom floor. "Wha-wha-WHAT?!"Scott had run into the bedroom and shouted at him to wake up. "We have a situation!" Scott said. "We need you in Thunderbird 2! Virgil and Gordon are already gearing up. Move it!" He pulled Alan up off the floor and dragged him from the room."Awh, Scott," Alan moaned sleepily. "I was dreaming!""Not the time, Alan," Scott scolded. "Now get going before Dad shouts at you for sleeping through the emergency alarm."Irritated, Alan did as he was told. He went to his chair to be taken down to the suiting-up bay whilst Scott went to the revolving wall panel that would take him down to Thunderbird 1. Soon, Alan and Gordon were suited up and joined Virgil in Thunderbird 2. He had already selected Module 2 for the mission ahead."Morning, Alan," Virgil said as his brothers took their seats. "Nice of you to join us.""Yeah, yeah, whatever," Alan answered sleepily."Hmm," Gordon observed as Thunderbird 2 began to leave the hangar. "Someone got up off the wrong side of the bedroom floor this morning."Alan scowled as the palm trees folded back to allow them to pass.As Thunderbird 2 reached the ramp and was lifted into position, Scott called from Thunderbird 1 to say that he'd just completed his own launch sequence and that the swimming pool had opened up to allow him to take-off."Thunderbird 1, F-A-B.""Thunderbird 2, ready for launch," said Virgil."Okay, boys," Jeff said. "I'll count you down. Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"Thunderbird 1's engines fired and it lifted gracefully up through where the swimming pool had been, its thrust once again pushing the sun-loungers away, much to the annoyance of Grandma.Thunderbird 2 was next to fire its engines and it soared off the ramp to join its smaller yet much faster sistership in the skies above Tracy Island."Thunderbirds are go!" said Jeff over the radio. "Good luck, boys.""Thanks, Dad," said Scott. "I'm going to fly ahead, Thunderbird 2.""F-A-B, Thunderbird 1," acknowledged Virgil. "See you there."The three brothers in Thunderbird 2 watched on as Thunderbird 1 zoomed away and vanished into the distance. As Alan gradually became more awake, he suddenly realised that he didn't actually know where they were going or why. "So, what exactly are we doing?" he asked. "Where are we going?"Neither Virgil or Gordon answered Alan's question. Instead it was John who appeared in hologram form on the control panel. "A massive earthquake has struck the remote town of Spoke City in Texas," he said. "The local Law Enforcement office appears to have been at the epicenter and has partially collapsed. The Sheriff and three of his deputies plus some criminals they had locked up are trapped in the wreckage. The GDF have been alerted and are attending to help deal with the prisoners and make sure they don't escape. Kayo is also on the way in Thunderbird Shadow.""So we just need to clear the debris for those trapped inside?" asked Gordon."Pretty much, yes," said John."Any idea what triggered the earthquake?" asked Virgil."That's the mystery," John answered. "There are no fault lines in that area so it makes absolutely no sense as to how or why an earthquake would have even occurred.""Could it have been man-made?" suggested Alan.The others looked at him. "Man-made?" repeated Gordon. "Don't be daft, Alan. Nobody can cause a man-made earthquake.""The Hood did!" Alan pointed out. "Remember the Ring of Fire incident?""Of course," said Virgil. "That's when things really began to heat up for International Rescue.""But The Hood is in prison," John said. "So it's very likely to be something else.""You did say law-enforcement office, didn't you?" Alan went on. "What if it's some kind of breakout by the prisoners?""Rather extreme don't you think?" said Gordon."Desperate men do desperate things, Gordon," said John. "Have to say I'm kind of agreeing with Alan's theory. Best be on your guard out there in case another quake occurs.""Don't worry, John, we will be," promised Virgil.Alan began to feel better. Scott and Gordon may have been giving him a hard time that morning but at least Virgil and John seemed to be listening to him. After landing Thunderbird 1 on the outskirts of Spoke City, Scott hurried into the small town and soon found the scene of the disaster. The Sheriff's Office had almost completely collapsed. Only a small section was still standing. Near the scene he found a concerned deputy along with Colonel Casey and several GDF soldiers who had formed a perimeter around the building."Scott!" said Colonel Casey. "So glad to see you.""Likewise, Colonel," replied Scott. "What's the situation?""No idea, mister," said the deputy in a strong accent. "One minute our here town was as peaceful as I can remember it. The next all hell breaks loose with that dang earthquake! We don't get 'em out here!""How many are inside?" Scott asked, looking at the collapsed building."About five we believe," said Colonel Casey. "Sheriff Mackenzie, Deputies Marcus and Callaway and two prisoners.""Herman Schultz and Paul Gastro," said the Deputy. "Name's Zimmerman by the way.""Nice to meet you, sir," said Scott. "My brothers will be here soon to help clear the wreckage and get to the trapped people.""If they're even alive," said Zimmerman with a grim tone in his voice."Due respect, sir, let's not assume the worst until we see it," said Scott. "What about the rest of the townsfolk?""They've all been moved up to the end of the street," said Zimmerman. "They're taking shelter in the Saloon. Everyone is accounted for.""Good," said Scott. "Excuse me a moment, please." He pressed his sash communicator. "Thunderbird 5, I need you to run a scan of the Sheriff's Office. Deputy Zimmerman says there are five people unaccounted for. Can you check to see if there are any life-signs in the wreckage?""F-A-B, Thunderbird 1," said John. "Stand-by." He ran a holographic scan of the building. Within a few seconds, four signatures appeared. He frowned, then did it again just to be sure. "Did you say five, Scott?""Affirmative.""Well I'm only picking up four life-signs," said John. "Which means either someone hasn't made it or someone has managed to escape. Or that the deputy miscounted."Scott grimaced. He had a suspicion that the first option was most likely. "To be honest with you, John, I am amazed that you've even picked up that many," he said. "How long until Thunderbird 2 gets here?""Should be approaching you now," John replied.Scott then realised that he could hear the distinctive hum of Thunderbird 2's engines in the distance. "So it is," he said. "Thanks, John." As Virgil prepared to land Thunderbird 2, he set about making an action plan. "We'll need two Pods. Alan, you set-up the Bulldozer-Pod. Gordon, you can try out the new digger features Brains has created.""F-A-B," said Gordon."New features?" asked Alan, sounding annoyed again. "Why can't I have that one?""Have you been trained on how to use them?" Gordon asked."No.""There you go then," said Gordon. "I have. We'll make sure you get training after Christmas, Al."Alan huffed as he got up to follow Gordon down to the module. As they exited the cockpit, Virgil heard a noise that sounded like a yawn. It was a yawn he'd heard many times before. He became concerned. Alan had done it a few times already during the journey from Tracy Island.Creating a secure channel, Virgil contacted Scott. "Scott, did you wake Alan this morning?""Yes, why?""How asleep was he?""Extremely," Scott said. "I had to literally shout in his ear in order to wake him."Virgil frowned. "Was that wise, Scott? He doesn't seem to have fully woken up. I'm wondering if we should have left him behind?""Certainly not!" Scott said with defiance. "Dad said we needed several hands for this job. We need Alan and Gordon to drive the Pods.""I could have driven one," said Virgil. "Yes, our organisation runs around the clock, but even we need to have sleep, Scott. And I don't think Alan's had enough lately.""He'll be fine, Virgil," sighed Scott. "Now hurry it up. Those poor folks need to be dug out and fast!"Virgil sighed too. "F-A-B," he said. Thunderbird 2 landed on the main road leading into the town. It had been closed off by the GDF to allow them to work without being hassled by the media. After raising the main body clear of Module 2, the door was opened to allow the two Pods to exit. Gordon came out first with the Digger-Pod which had both a scooping shovel on the front and a backhoe bucket attached to the rear. Alan followed in the Bulldozer Pod. They made their way to the location of the Sheriff's Office to await further instructions from Scott."Alan, John says that the four life signs are located deep within the wreckage," Scott explained. "I need you to clear away the fallen pieces of debris so that Gordon can use the Digger-Pod to dig them out.""Piece of cake," said Alan. He positioned the Bulldozer-Pod towards the Sheriff's Office and moved forwards. But he had barely started before he suddenly heard panicked voices over the communicator in his helmet."ALAN, STOP, STOP, STOP!"Alan stopped. "What? What's wrong?" He looked out of the side and saw Scott was urgently beckoning him to reverse. He did so.Then Gordon's frantic voice could be heard. "Woah, LOOK OUT!"There was a hard thud as Alan felt his Pod hit something and came to a stop. He glanced back and saw that he'd driven back and collided with Gordon's Pod."Watch where you're going!" Gordon snapped."Well don't get in my way!" Alan snapped back.Scott jumped up onto Alan's Pod. "What are you playing at, Alan?" he demanded. "You didn't lower the blade! You started running over the debris!""Did I?" Alan asked.Virgil then appeared. "Scott, leave this to me," he said. "Alan, let me take over please.""What for?" Alan demanded. "I'm fine!""No, you're not, little brother," Virgil said. "You've been yawning throughout the journey here. You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you?"Alan grimaced. He didn't like to admit it, but he knew Virgil was right. He had hoped that nobody would have noticed. "Fine!" he said as he unstrapped himself and climbed out of the Pod. "What do you want me to do?""Go stand with Kayo and Colonel Casey," Virgil said. "And for Pete's sake, take it easy." He climbed into the Pod and began to clear the wreckage of the Sheriff's Office.Scott scowled at Alan as he sulked past him to where Kayo and Colonel Casey were standing. The two women could see something wasn't right."Are you okay, young man?" asked Colonel Casey."I'm fine," Alan lied.Kayo's eyes narrowed. "Could you excuse us, please, Colonel?"Colonel Casey nodded and moved away, leaving the two alone."Alan, what's wrong?" Kayo asked."They've all got it for me, Kayo," Alan pouted. "First Scott disturbs me from my sleep! Then Gordon and Virgil don't allow me to drive the new Pod. Then Scott yells at me for not putting the Bulldozer Blade down and now Virgil's kicked me out to do it himself. It's not fair!""When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" Kayo asked."Like never," Alan replied."Maybe you should try sleeping in bed instead of on the floor?" Kayo suggested. "That can't be doing you any good, Alan."Alan scoffed. But deep down, he did begin to wonder if Kayo might be right. He said no more as he sulkily watched as Virgil finished clearing the debris away from the site to allow Gordon to move in with the Digger-Pod. Using the Backhoe, Gordon carefully dug the remaining wreckage away until the missing people were found. The four men were quickly but carefully recovered with prisoner Paul Gastro being given to the GDF for safe keeping. Despite a broken arm sustained by Deputy Marcus, there were no serious injuries which everyone found to be quite surprising yet relieving.Sheriff Mackenzie however, wasn't remotely interested in seeking medical attention. He had a much more serious problem on his mind. "Where's Schultz?!" he demanded after being helped out from the wreckage."So that's the one unaccounted for?" asked Scott. "I'm afraid, sir, we were only able to detect four life signs when we scanned the sight. Now that we've found you, we'll start digging for his body.""HE AIN'T IN THE WRECKAGE, SON!" shouted the Sheriff. "HE'S THE ONE WHO CAUSED THIS! WHO'S GUARDING THE BANK?!""The bank?" asked Colonel Casey. "What about it?""Herman Schultz is a professional bank robber!" said the Sheriff. "We found him and locked him up in order to keep our bank safe. He's probably in there right now, emptying it!"Colonel Casey, Kayo and Scott exchanged looks. Kayo activated her communicator. "Thunderbird 5, can you do a scan of the town? We need to know the location of all life-signatures.""Stand-by, Thunderbird Shadow," John acknowledged. He ran the same scan as he'd done on the Sheriff's Office but this time with a much wider field so as to cover the entire village. Little coloured dots showed him the location of each and every one of the life-signs detected. Blue indicated his fellow International Rescue personnel, green for the Global Defence Force, yellow for the other Emergency Services, white for all civilians and red for any criminals. Straight away, his eye was drawn to a red dot right in the middle of the bank. "Are you looking for an escaped convict?" he asked."How did you know?" asked Kayo."Because he's in the bank," John said. "He must have broken out of the Sheriff's Office in order to rob it.""One man did all this?" asked Scott. "That doesn't seem possible."Suddenly there came a rumbling sound and the ground began to shake."Woah!" cried several people as they tried to keep their balance. The buildings all around shuddered and shook with the tremors which seemed their strongest at the bank."HE'S DOING IT AGAIN!" shouted the Sheriff. He tried hobbling towards the bank. "WE MUST STOP HIM!" He then fell flat on his face."Easy, Sheriff," said a GDF Medic who came to take care of him. "Looks like you've twisted your ankle.""We'll take care of him," said Colonel Casey. "She grabbed her walkie-talkie. "All GDF units, this is Colonel Casey. Form a perimeter around the bank. This criminal cannot be allowed to escape!"The air was filled with shouts of orders as the many GDF soldiers moved away from their perimeter around the destroyed Sheriff's Office and began to form one around the bank instead. But they hadn't even finished before there came a loud shout and a strange humming noise from inside the bank. Then came a crash and the front door was blown outwards as a figure leaped out into the street. Nobody could see the figure's face for he was dressed in what was probably one of the strangest outfits anybody had ever seen. He was dressed head to toe in a bright yellow and brown quilt-like suit. The head covering had what looked like some kind of breathing apparatus and triangular shaped eye-holes that glowed orange. He had heavy black boots on his feet and wore a pair of unusual gauntlets on his wrists. Nobody could tell what they were, but they looked deadly. After landing, on the tarmac, the figure looked around at everybody staring at him."SCHULTZ!" shrieked the Sheriff who tried immediately to get away from the Medics who were trying to fix him up."Still alive, Sheriff?" Schultz asked, his voice altered by the distorter in his suit. "Grrr! That's ruined my day!""Herman Schultz!" Colonel Casey said into a loud-speaker. "You are completely surrounded! Surrender now!""NEVER!" roared Schultz. "NOBODY TELLS THE SHOCKER WHAT TO DO! NOBODY!" As he yelled, the gauntlets suddenly powered up with the same hum as heard before they glowed yellow and he aimed his arms in the direction of Colonel Casey before two sonic blasts shot out from them. Kayo grabbed Colonel Casey and pushed her down to the ground. The remaining soldiers and personnel scattered and dived to the ground as Schultz did a complete circular sweep with the sonic blasts smashing through the surrounding buildings and causing several collapses. A few cars were hit too and were either blasted away or exploded."Well…" Gordon said to Virgil and Scott. "I think we now know what caused the earthquake.""You think?!" Scott replied. He scrambled to his feet just as Schultz used the gauntlets to launch himself into the air and away from the scene.Kayo, who after making sure Colonel Casey was safe, raced to Shadowbike which was parked nearby and set off in pursuit of the escaping villain."YEAH!" Alan cheered. "GO GET HIM, KAYO!"Schultz landed several metres away from the bank and onto the T-junction close to the Saloon where the majority of the town's residents, who'd been evacuated there, watched him nervously through the windows. Schultz paid them no attention at first until one of the older residents shouted abuse at him. He looked up and stared with the sinister glowing eyes of his suit as he tried to figure out who it was who'd shouted. Whilst the actions of the man could have spelt disaster for everyone inside, it was a distraction that initially proved useful for it allowed Kayo to close the gap. Schultz's attention was grabbed by the roar of the Shadowbike's engine and he turned round to look. He had got two options. One - to jump away again and try and increase the gap between them, or use his powerful weapons to try and stop her. Ignorantly, he chose the latter and began firing short, sharp blasts at the Shadowbike. Kayo's reflexes helped her to dodge each of the blasts which infuriated Schultz and he fired more rapidly in a desperate attempt to strike his target. But the Shadowbike was too fast for him and soon it was speeding around where he stood. He found himself spinning around and firing at random, trying to hit the speeding bike, but to no avail. "STAY STILL!" he roared and fired both gauntlets this time. He missed again, but the Shadowbike then stopped circling him and began racing away down the street. "YEAH, YOU'D BETTER RU-AAAARK!"The reason for the bike's sudden exit now became clear for Kayo had leapt out of the bike unseen and landed hard on top of Schultz, knocking him hard down on the ground. "Gotcha!" she said triumphantly. She looked up to see a squad of soldiers hurrying towards them as she struggled to hold him down. "Stop struggling, please, Mr Schultz," she said. "You've got a lot to answer for."But Schultz wasn't done. The gauntlets were powering up again. "Don't call me Schultz!" he growled. "I...am...The SHOCKER!" He blasted the ground with the gauntlets throwing himself and Kayo backwards and landed back on the ground this time with her being the one forced to the floor. Schultz jumped to his feet and Kayo followed suit. She quickly readied herself to strike again, but this time it was Schultz who got in first. He swung his left arm around and hit Kayo in the stomach. As he did, the gauntlet fired and Kayo was sent flying backwards where she collided painfully with a mailbox. Schultz then attacked the approaching soldiers who were forced to dive for cover. Nothing they had could match his firepower. A GDF Flyer then appeared overhead which prompted Schultz to fire upon it as well. He scored a direct hit on its starboard wing and forced it to make an emergency landing outside the town. "HAHA!" jeered Schultz. "NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME!"But his evil joy was short-lived for his attention was grabbed by an angry bellow. He turned around just in time to see a large Bulldozer blade coming at him. It was far too close for him to get a shot off so he tried to dive out of the way. He wasn't quick enough and something hit him and knocked him to the ground.Alan stopped the Bulldozer-Pod and leapt out before slamming his fists against Schultz's helmet. "MONSTER!" he screamed. "EVIL! MANIC! COWARD!"Schultz was also screaming now in agonising pain."YES, IT HURTS, DOESN'T IT?!" Alan screeched as he started punching him again. "NOBODY…""ALAN!"Scott and Virgil grabbed Alan and pulled him back whilst Gordon jumped up into the Bulldozer-Pod and moved it backwards.Scott grabbed Alan and shook him violently before clapping him around the head and knocking him to the ground."OW!" shouted Alan. "SCOTT, WHAT THE HELL?!" He then looked into his eldest brother's face and saw something that he'd never seen in him before. A furious rage. The same kind Jeff had if they'd ever done anything naughty. "What?!""What have you done, Alan?" Scott asked through gritted teeth. He was shaking just like Alan had been after he'd seen Kayo get struck by Schultz.Alan suddenly became aware of loads of GDF soldiers and medics gathering around where Schultz was lying. He was still screaming and crying out in pain. As Alan picked himself up, Scott grabbed him and dragged him around the side to show him something. Now that Gordon had moved the Bulldozer-Pod, the results of Alan's actions could be revealed. Alan froze. The colour drained from his face as he saw the crushed remains of Schultz's legs. He also saw there were blood-stains on the Bulldozer-Pod's right track. He looked up at Scott with a horrified expression and almost quivered under the furious look he was getting back."Look what you've done, Alan," Scott said in a hushed voice before exploding in a rage. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" He grabbed Alan and raised his hand to hit again but was stopped by Virgil."SCOTT, ENOUGH!" Virgil shouted.Alan fell to the floor as he fell out of Scott's grip."STAY OUT OF THIS, VIRGIL!" roared Scott."NO, BACK OFF!" Virgil thundered. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"Alan was in shock. He was shaking with fear as the realisation of what had happened began to sink in.As the commotion reigned down in the street of Spoke City, far away on Tracy Island, Brains, Jeff and Grandma watched the events through a holographic TV patched in via one of the street's CCTV cameras. Grandma's hands were over her mouth. Brains was frozen to the spot. Jeff collapsed into the chair at his desk. This was a complete disaster now.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

THE incident in Spoke City caused a massive rift through several parties. Virgil ended up taking charge of the scene, forcing Scott to stand-down due to the amount of anger that was raging through him. He also had Alan taken and put inside Thunderbird 2 for protection because Sheriff Mackenzie was screeching for Alan's head after taking down Schultz the way he had. Mackenzie had wanted Schultz brought in for his crimes, not injured in such a way that he was now fighting for his life in a hospital after having had both his legs crushed. The people of Spoke City were also divided with the vast majority commending Alan for stopping the man who'd caused carnage to their little town whilst a few agreed with the Sheriff that he should have been taken down without injury.None were more divided however than the International Rescue team themselves. Scott was absolutely livid with Alan for his actions. Virgil was angry with Scott for lashing out at Alan after having told him that he shouldn't have disturbed Alan that morning. Gordon was saying Alan did the right thing and had the view that Schultz had deserved what he'd got, even if it though it was a bit extreme. John chose to not give an opinion of what had gone wrong. Brains didn't know what to think. Grandma did nothing but worry about Alan and Jeff found himself having to do negotiations with the High Courts and Schultz's lawyer who like Mackenzie was demanding that Alan be arrested for causing grievous bodily harm whilst Colonel Casey did her utmost to defend the International Rescue team and insist that it was a bad accident.Kayo had come off the worst physically. Getting hit by Schultz had caused her to break three ribs when she had struck the mailbox. She was in great pain yet wasn't taken to hospital because Jeff had insisted that Virgil bring her back to the island in Thunderbird 2. With the situation potentially escalating, the last thing Jeff wanted was for anyone to stay in the United States where they could be harassed by the Press.As for Alan, he was in the worst state of all. He was in shock. He was scared as the realisation of his actions sank in as slowly as it had taken the Titanic to sink. As the International Rescue team headed back to Tracy Island. Everyone was silent. Alan sat in the medical bay looking at the injured Kayo who was stable but currently unconscious. As he held her hand, tears of guilt trickled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kayo," he whispered. "I'm…so sorry." He buried his head on Kayo's left arm and sobbed. Alan was still shaken by Scott's rage. He was dreading what his father was going to say to him. As he entered the lounge, flanked by Gordon and Virgil, he saw Jeff looking at him from behind the desk. He did not look happy. Scott, Brains and Grandma were there too. Scott was looking as furious as he'd done at the scene whilst Grandma and Brains were looking as upset for him as Virgil and Gordon were. Alan trembled like a leaf as he made his way over to Jeff's desk. He readied himself for the eruption of fury that was going to be thrown upon him."D-Dad," Alan began, his voice shaking. "I'm s-so s-sorry.""Sorry doesn't cut it, Alan!" snapped Scott. "You've really screwed us over!""Give him a break, Scott!" growled Gordon. "Can't you see how much pain he's in right now?""And so he should feel the pain!" Scott growled back."ENOUGH!" Jeff thundered making the lounge fall silent. He took a breath and lowered his voice. "I need to talk to Alan alone. Everyone else please leave us."Virgil, Gordon and Brains left immediately with Grandma following, she gave Alan a look of pure sorrow as she left. Alan could tell straight away that she wasn't going to hold this incident against him. Scott did not move however and stayed firmly where he was."Did you hear me, Scott?" Jeff asked. "I said leave us.""I heard you, Dad," said Scott, his expression not changing."Then why are you still here?" asked Jeff, fixing Scott with an equally stern expression.Scott hesitated, then turned and walked away without a word.Jeff looked back at Alan. Alan looked at him. Then he shut his eyes and burst into tears before collapsing onto the floor. "S-S-S-S-S-Sorry, Dad," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."Jeff had been about to yell at Alan, but after seeing his youngest son collapse into a heap the way he had, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He instead got up from his desk, came around to the front and pulled Alan into a hug. "Oh, Alan," he said sadly. "What happened? Please tell me.""I-I-I don't know," Alan whimpered. "After seeing what the Shocker did to Kayo. I just snapped. I jumped into the Pod and charged at him. I only meant to get him away from Kayo. I didn't want to run him over. I swear!""I believe you, son," Jeff said.Alan blinked and looked at his father through teary-blue eyes. "Y-You do?""I do," Jeff said. "I can't say that I am proud of what you did out there. I most certainly am not. You've caused us a lot of trouble by doing that. But, I don't believe for one second that you ran Mr Schultz over on purpose. I'm also aware from what Virgil told me in confidence that you haven't been sleeping well lately?"Alan shook his head. "No, I haven't," he sniffed. "I was actually in a deep sleep this morning before Scott forced me to wake up and make me go to Thunderbird 2. I thought I could handle myself out there. But I really couldn't. I guess this is the end of my International Rescue career.""Certainly not!" said Jeff, letting go of him. "Whilst you've caused us a whole heap of trouble, son, I'm not going to let this be the end of you or International Rescue. Even the greatest rescue forces in the world can suffer embarrassing incidents, including us. I feel that perhaps you need a break from active duty until you feel you're able to continue. Maybe just stick to space missions for now if one comes up." He put his hand onto Alan's shoulder. "We'll get past this, Alan. I promise. And I'm going to make sure that nobody will hold what has happened today against you.""Tell that to Scott," Alan grunted.Jeff nodded. "I'll be speaking to him separately," he said. "For now, Alan, I want you to go and get some rest. Go take a long, hot shower and go to bed. I'll have Grandma bring you some food up later."Alan wiped the tears from his eyes. He still felt very guilty about what had happened, but Jeff's words had made him feel a little better. "Thank you, Dad," he said, hugging him tightly. "I just feel like I've let you all down.""Never," Jeff replied with a small smile. Despite what had happened, he still loved Alan. "Now, off you go," he added. "Oh, and Alan?""Yes?""Try sleeping in the bed this time," said Jeff. "You may find that makes a difference."Alan managed a small smile. "I will," he promised, suddenly remembering what Kayo had said to him earlier that day. Alan's slight relief from Jeff's comforting words were short-lived. As he left the lounge and past where the stairs that led up to the bedrooms and down to the kitchen were, he stopped when he heard angry voices coming from below. It seemed as though Gordon, Scott and Virgil were having a blazing row about him."SCOTT, THAT IS TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER!" Virgil roared. "YOU CANNOT ASK DAD FOR THAT!""OH, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK HIM, VIRGIL," Scott shouted back. "I'M GOING TO DEMAND IT AND NO MISTAKE! ALAN NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED FOR WHAT HE'S DONE!""SCOTT, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Gordon thundered. "WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU TO REALISE THAT?!""IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT, GORDON!" rumbled Scott. "HE DIRECTED THAT POD RIGHT AT THE SHOCKER AND MOWED HIM DOWN! HOW YOU CAN YOU DEFEND HIM FOR DOING THAT?!""FIRSTLY, BECAUSE OF WHAT THE SHOCKER DID TO KAYO!" Gordon yelled. "AND SECONDLY, THE SHOCKER HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO JUMP OUT OF THE WAY AND AT LEAST BE DISTRACTED LONG ENOUGH FOR A GDF SOLDIER TO DISABLE HIM!"Scott slammed his fist on the table. "I TOO AM ANGRY FOR WHAT'S HAPPENED TO KAYO! I TOO WOULD PROBABLY HAVE PUNCHED THAT CROOK INTO BOXING DAY! BUT CRIMINAL OR NOT, HE DID NOT DESERVE TO HAVE HIS LEGS CRUSHED!""BOYS, ENOUGH!" Grandma butted in. "You're going to give me a migraine if you carry on like that. Now sit down, be quiet and eat your dinner. Your father will decide what to do with Alan if anything.""What do you think, Grandma?" asked Virgil."That Alan made a mistake, yes," Grandma said. "And that's all he made. I don't believe that he intended to run over Mr Schultz. Don't forget that being tired can make people do things without realising they're doing it. Alan hasn't been sleeping well lately, so I am not surprised that his fatigue has gotten the better of him."Scott sighed in frustration. "You're still all missing the point! Haven't any of you thought of the consequences of this incident? The Sheriff and Schultz's lawyer want Alan to stand trial for what he's done. If Schultz dies from his injuries, what are the media going to say about it? Criminal killed by International Rescue?! Our reputation will be ruined! Nobody will ever call us out again after that and thousands of lives may be lost because nobody can trust us anymore!""Scott, you're overreacting!" said Virgil. "Schultz isn't dead as far as we know, and I really do not believe that Dad will allow that to happen even if he does. You know he has friends in the right places.""Colonel Casey for one," said Gordon. "She's not blaming Alan for it. I asked her in confidence before we left."Scott stood up without touching his food. "It isn't right!" he said. "I'm going to talk to Dad.""Scott, don't!" Virgil said jumping up but Grandma stopped him. "Let him go, Virgil," she said as Scott headed back up the stairs towards the lounge. "I don't think he'll be coming back with what he wants."Scott didn't hear what Grandma had said, nor did he notice Alan hiding in the shadows. Alan gave Scott a glare of hatred, something he'd never felt towards any member of his family before. Everyone clearly didn't blame him for what he'd done, so why was Scott being so antagonistic about it? He had heard all that had been said in the kitchen and whilst he believed Scott definitely had a point about the consequences, he clearly wasn't focusing on how they would sort the situation out and instead was fretting over what could happen to International Rescue. Alan had thought about confronting Scott, but decided he wasn't brave enough to do so. Scott entered the lounge and headed over to Jeff's desk. Jeff frowned when he saw him. "Scott.""Dad," Scott said. "I trust you have disciplined Alan accordingly? I am more than ready to take charge of Thunderbird 3 whenever that may be required."Jeff didn't answer for a moment as he was busy with some paperwork. "I take it you're assuming that I have grounded Alan as a result of today's events?""Not assuming, Dad," Scott replied. "Just stating the obvious.""Well I'll say this here and now," said Jeff. "I don't like this attitude you've developed, Scott. I've always seen you as level-headed. Calm and quick to make decisions in dangerous situations. And no, I haven't grounded Alan. Just giving him some time off to recuperate."Scott stared at his father in disbelief. "I'm sorry, you're not disciplining him? Why?""Why should I?" Jeff asked. "Alan's made a mess of things, yes. He knows that. He's not denying it. I also know that. You know that. I also know how incredibly guilty he is about it and broke down sobbing in my arms. I cannot punish someone who has owned up to their mistakes, Scott.""Yes you can!" Scott exclaimed. "Alan's actions could spell the end of International Rescue if that crook dies from his injuries!""He's not, Scott," said Jeff. "I had a call from Colonel Casey just before you came in. "Schultz is alive and is stable. He's lost both his legs and despite the protests of his attorney, he will be tried and punished for what he did to the people of Spoke City. Isn't that satisfactory for you?""NO, IT'S NOT!" Scott exploded in a sudden rage. "REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HE LIVES OR NOT, THE MEDIA WILL STILL BRAND US AS THE BAD GUYS IN THIS AND-""AND IT'S LUCKY FOR YOU THAT I AM PREPARED TO OVERLOOK THIS OUTBURST!" Jeff thundered, cutting Scott off. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?""What's that got to do with-""ANSWER THE QUESTION!"Scott sighed. "I can't remember, Dad."Jeff gave his eldest son a hard, stern look. "It would seem to me that you've got the same problems as Alan. you've been overworking. You're tired. You've not been sleeping and that's affecting your judgment. I must therefore insist you do the same as what I've told Alan to do. Go take a shower. He's probably finished by now. Then have a long sleep. You know what tomorrow is and I'm not having this family divided on such a day. I also want you to think long and hard about your attitude towards Alan and I expect you to apologise to him as soon as you're both up. Alan needs our support, not our ridicule. This mess will be sorted out. I can promise you that. Now get out of my sight!"Scott gave a defeated sigh and turned to leave. "Yes, Dad," he said.Jeff waited until Scott was halfway out of the lounge before calling out to him. "You were expecting me to be ashamed, Scott? Well you're right about that. I am very ashamed. Of you!"Those words hit Scott hard in the chest. For the first time that day, he suddenly realised just how despicable his behaviour had been. He left the lounge without another word. Alan had forgotten about having a shower and had hurried off to his room after hearing Jeff telling Scott to go and take one. As he sat on the windowsill, looking out over the setting sun, he heard the sound of Scott coming up the stairs. He waited with bated breath, hoping Scott wouldn't come knocking. He really didn't want to see him right now. Feeling sad and bitter, Alan climbed down from the windowsill after waiting for Scott's footsteps to fade away and got into bed for the first time in a very long time. He immediately found the bed very cosy and welcoming and it distracted him momentarily. Tiredness soon got the better of him and he drifted off to sleep. But as he drifted off to sleep, little did Alan know how strange things were about to become. ***Dream Sequence Commences***

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

SPOKE City - The early twentieth century. The small town had begun the day peaceful and uneventful just as it always had done. But that wasn't to last when three armed men burst into the bank and started a robbery.Scotty Tracy, the leader of the group, stood on guard at the door, keeping a lookout whilst keeping his gun ready in case law-enforcement turned up. His brothers Johnny and Gordo were kept busy with Gordo pushing sacks of gold through from the store room to Johnny who then placed them in a loot sack.Hiram, the clerk, kept his hands up whilst trembling with fear. "Oh, m-my! Oh, my! You c-can't do that!" he protested as his stammer worsened. "Mr H-Hood will be real m-mad!" He fell silent when Scotty's gun was raised slightly.The two brothers continued to load the gold whilst Scotty continued to watch the outside of the bank. Hiram noticed they were too busy not looking at him and his eye moved over to a small white button which if pressed would sound the alarm and alert the local police. He thought about pressing it, but that would only result in him probably getting shot at by the criminals or possibly get shot himself. His fears were proven when he glanced back to see Gordo with his head right next to his, glaring."Come on, hurry it up!" barked Scotty impatiently."Just one more," said Johnny."Yes, just one more," agreed Gordo.Scott grimaced under the face mask he was wearing. "You two are too greedy, that's your problem!""There's no rules that we must follow," Johnny objected.Hiram saw this as his chance to possibly get help. With the brothers arguing, he slowly began to move his left hand towards the button."Yeah, we can't leave all this!" agreed Gordon."Hurry it up, Gordo," Johnny said. "Hurry it up!"Hiram's hand edged closer to the button. But he didn't get the chance to press it. A gunshot rang out and Hiram gave a yelp as the bullet shattered a bottle of blue ink on the table which then splashed onto his nose and cheeks. "OH!" he exclaimed.Scotty came over to the counter, his gun pointed and a stern glare on what small part of his face was still visible. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, pal," he warned. "Next time, I'll be aiming to kill."Hiram quivered."Okay, let's go!" Scotty said to the others. He grabbed one of the loot bags and made for the door with Johnny grabbing the other. Gordo grabbed a third and made his way out from behind the counter."Y-You w-won't g-get a-away w-with t-this!" stammered Hiram. "T-The l-law w-will c-catch u-up t-to y-you e-eventually!"Scotty turned back as Gordo and Johnny exited through the front door. "That's where you're wrong, pal," he said. "We are the law! We take what we want, from who we want, whenever we want it! Hope it stays warm for you, friend." he aimed his gun at the ceiling, fired a shot which dislodged a gas light which fell and smashed on the floor. The gas slowly began to pour out across the floor as Scotty fired again, this time at the gas which set it alight. "See you around," Scotty said and then he followed his brothers out the door, closing it as he went.Hiram grabbed the telephone and urgently pressed the emergency button. "Operator! O-Operator!" he cried. "H-Help! Help! F-Fire! Oh m-my! R-Robbery! Operator!" Then he heard the sound of an engine starting from outside. "N-No! My c-car!"Whilst the stolen money from the bank wasn't personal to Hiram, his car most certainly was. Gordo had pick-pocketed the keys whilst behind the counter from Hiram and they were now stealing it as a getaway vehicle. The car was not very well maintained, was spluttery and its engine backfired as it set off. The brothers whooped with joy at their success as they sped out of the town.As they went, they passed the last house at the edge of the town belonging to its oldest resident whose name was Sally. She'd been tending to her vegetable patch when the stolen car knocked part of her garden fence down. "YOU DESPICABLE RATS!" she bellowed, shaking her fist angrily after them. She didn't know that a robbery had just taken place and thought it was just some careless joyriders.The brothers didn't care about Hiram. They didn't care that they'd started a fire in the bank. They didn't even care about the damage they'd just caused to Sally's fence. They'd made it out of Spoke City and nobody was around to stop them."How are we doing, Scotty?" asked Gordo as he tried to master the driving of Hiram's car.Scotty was in the front beside him whilst Johnny was in the back with the loot. Neither of them were too impressed with Gordo's bad driving."If you'd quit trying to fly this thing and just drive it we'd be doing a whole lot better!" said Scotty."Yeah, take it easy, Gordo," agreed Johnny. "You'll likely kill us all before we have a chance to spend the money!""What's the matter, Johnny?" asked Scotty. "I thought you liked a little dangerous driving?""I do, but I want to stay alive to enjoy it a little longer!" Johnny said. "Well what's next, brother?"Scotty was trying to read a map which wasn't easy due to the car shaking heavily on the dusty roads. "What's next?" he repeated. "A little gold busting in Attuma. And the nearest town to that is…Alanstown. Yes, I reckon we'll rest up there for a bit."Gordo and Johnny were suddenly looking worried."Did you say…Alanstown?" asked Gordo."Yeah, so what?" asked Scotty."But, Scotty, you know who runs that place, don't you?" asked Johnny. "That's where Virg and Al now reside, and last I heard Al's the sheriff and he has a mighty high reputation for law and order!""And they say he's the fastest drawer in the west!" added Gordo.Scotty scoffed. "He'll have to be fast to take on the three of us!" he said. "Besides, I reckon pretty much everyone will be out of town at the Triple-Creek Rodeo! Quit complaining, you two! I said next stop - Alanstown!"Mr Hood was the secretly corrupt mayor of Spoke City. He looked at the bank through the window of his office across the street. Hiram was safe and the fire was out but the damage was quite severe and losing such a large amount of money to the Tracy's made him seethe with anger."Stealing from my town!" he cursed. "It's disgusting! Nobody steals from me and gets away with it!" He turned to face the two oddly-dressed people who were standing in the office. One was a short, slim white female with short brown and white hair. The other was a large muscular black man with short black curly hair. Both were wearing strange purple body-armour suits. "Now I've heard you two are the best at what you do," Mr Hood continued. "I'm putting out a $500,000,000 reward for the capture of these men. Preferably dead, but I'll add a bonus on if you can bring them to me alive. I would very much like to spend some time with them alone.""We'll get 'em for you, Mr Hood," said the woman. "There's no challenge that H. A. Vok and Fusebox cannot handle. We'll have 'em at your feet by sunset!""Excellent!" said Mr Hood. "Get to it then. And don't let anybody get in your way. Not even the Sheriff of Alanstown.""You think that's where they've gone?" asked Fusebox."Most certainly, my boy," replied Mr Hood. "There's a gold shipment going out on a train from there this evening. Those cretins won't be able to resist such a treasure. Trust me." He began to cackle evilly.It took nearly an hour for the Tracy's to cover the distance between Spoke City and Alanstown. As Scotty had predicted, they found the town almost deserted as they drove in. With the exception of a small number of folk in the Saloon, nobody seemed to be around. Nor did anybody appear to even notice them arrive. Even their estranged brothers Sheriff Al and Virg didn't appear to be around anywhere. Confident in their stay remaining unnoticed, they left the car outside the Saloon and went inside for some drinks.What they didn't notice however was that somebody had indeed noticed them arrive. Tanusha Kyrano was Sheriff Al's head deputy and right-hand woman. She kept out of sight as the Tracy brothers had driven in but once she'd made certain of their location she ran back to the Sheriff's Office to alert him of their presence.Sheriff Al had been relaxing in the office with his feet up on the desk and his face buried in that day's newspaper. On the front page had been an advert warning people to be on the lookout for the Tracy brothers as the robbery in Spoke City most certainly wasn't their first and several other towns in the area had been offering rewards for their capture.The first Sheriff Al knew of anything was when he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside and the door bursting open with a rather out of breath Tanusha running in. "Sheriff! Sheriff!" she cried. "Your brothers have just rolled into town!"Sheriff Al threw down the newspaper and stood himself up. "Okay, Tanusha, take a breath," he said calmly. "I knew they would come here eventually. Let's play it cool though. He adjusted his gun's holster and then grabbed his hat. "Where are they?""In the Saloon," Tanusha replied. "I hope they don't hassle Virg too much. He's in there on the piano today.""Then what are we waiting for?" asked Sheriff Al. "Let's go get them!"Scotty, Johnny and Gordo had already had a couple of drinks which they'd drunk quickly in celebration of their heist in Spoke City."Same again, barman!" Scotty ordered. "And be quick about it!" He then left Johnny and Gordo by the bar whilst he went over to the opposite side of the saloon where Virg was playing the piano. Virg had noticed them arrive and instantly felt sick. Ever since the death of their father Jeff two years earlier, the family had been torn apart. Whilst Jeff's will left his wealth to the five brothers, it had specifically ensured that it was divided equally between the five brothers. Virg and Al took theirs without fuss believing it was fair. But Scotty felt being the eldest that he should have inherited the fortune. He quickly corrupted the minds of Gordo and later Johnny into believing it, although Johnny still had a slight reluctance in the back of his mind. Virg and Al were strongly against it and after a vicious family feud, they'd split and gone their separate ways with Scotty leading Gordo and Johnny turning to a life of crime whilst Virg and Al had moved to their new town and helped build it up from there. With Al becoming a very well respected person, the town was soon properly named Alanstown in his honour when he became the Sheriff. He'd chased some castle rustlers out the year before and thus was what allowed him to become head of the town's non-existence law-enforcement.Virg grimaced when he realised Scotty was coming over towards him but decided to try and at least act civil if he could. "Scotty.""Howdy, Virg," Scotty replied. "Long time, no see, brother.""Not long enough," Virg muttered to himself. "What are you doing here?""Just passing through," Scotty said. "Thought we'd have a drink.""To celebrate your last heist no doubt?" Virg said. He continued to play the piano and not once did he even look up at Scotty."Now whatever gives you that idea?" asked Scotty with a raised eyebrow.Virg pointed to a poster on the wall showing the faces of Scotty, Gordo and Johnny. It had 'WANTED' written at the top and a $20,000 reward for their capture - dead or alive written at the bottom."Only, $20,000?" Scotty sounded disappointed. "I'm sure we're worth a lot more than that."Virg growled and sighed. "How could you let yourself get like this, Scotty?" he asked. "You used to be a kind and caring person who always looked out for us. And now you're a petty criminal robbing banks because you find it exhilarating! You think Dad would be proud of you for this?""Of course not!" Scotty replied, angered that Virg had even mentioned him. "You know he's the reason why I'm doing this. He once told me that once he was gone, everything he had would be mine. He said nothing about sharing it with each of us individually!""You make me sick," Virg said. "That's rubbish and you know it! I'm ashamed to think I was ever your brother.""Like it or not, we still are, Virg," Scotty said. "And I want you back with us. Al too. I'll even get you anything you want."Virg finished playing his piece and turned the music page over. "There is something I want you to do, Scotty," he said."Sure," said Scotty. "Just name it."Virg looked up at his brother for the first time in a long time. He looked him straight in the eye and said "Get stuffed!" He then turned back and started playing again.Scotty was outraged. Nobody spoke to him like that. He began to reach for his gun, but stopped as he suddenly remembered something Jeff had once taught him. Virg wasn't armed and Jeff's advice was"Never shoot a man unless he's armed, son. It isn't proper."Scotty turned away and headed back to the bar where Aloysius the barman had left his drink for him. Johnny and Gordo had drunk a few more drinks whilst he'd been over with Virg. Penny the posh owner of the Saloon was observing them with a degree of dislike. She'd recognised who they were but decided not to cause a scene as she felt sure that Sheriff Al would arrive soon to take care of them. In the meantime she would treat them like any other customer she dealt with.Gordo burped loudly which turned a few heads. "I could do with another drink," he said with a slur in his voice."I'd say you've had enough, honey," remarked Penny."This place could do with being livened up!" said Johnny, swirling his glass around in his hand. "I mean bright pink on the walls? What kind of color is that for a saloon bar?"Penny did her best to ignore the remark. "Now I do hope you boys aren't going to cause any trouble whilst you're in here?" she warned. "This town is a law-abiding one and this bar is respectable."Gordo was getting annoyed by Penny talking down at them. "Why don't you get lost, sweetheart?" he said rudely.Penny glared at him for a second before walking away in a huff.Johnny moved closer to Scotty for a confidential talk. Clearly Gordo wasn't in much of a state to take part in it at the moment. "What about the loot from the banks?" he asked. "When are we sharing it out?"Scotty frowned at him. "What's the hurry, Johnny?" he asked. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet and are wanting to pull out just when life's getting good?""Er, no, of course not," Johnny replied."Then shut up!" Scotty hissed. "Let's talk about Attuma. What time is the Mail Express?""Six o'clock, I believe," said Johnny."That's right," said Scotty. "At six o'clock today, it will pick up the biggest gold consignment that's ever been shipped by rail from the west. Right now it's all locked up safe and sound in a concealed vault at the station. But five minutes before the train arrives they'll put it out onto the platform ready to be loaded as soon as the Express arrives. That's when we'll strike."There was a sudden clunk that made their heads turn sharply to the right. Gordo suddenly spat his drink out and he stared in disbelief. Virg also suddenly stopped playing and the whole saloon went completely silent. The only sound that could be heard now was the wind blowing outside. All eyes turned to the front swinging doors to see Sheriff Al now standing in his pristine white uniform. He looked around at the people that were in there. Scotty, Johnny and Gordo suddenly found themselves feeling very tense, just like the rest of the room seemed to feel.Al looked from Virg on his left to the bar on his right. His eyes crossed over his three estranged brothers but he didn't look them in the eye. He then walked over to the bar and as he settled himself beside it, turned his head to look at his three brothers for the first time properly since they'd parted ways.Aloysius came up to him. "What will h'it be, Sheriff?" he asked."Whiskey, little brother?" asked Johnny, sliding a large bottle along the bar to where Al caught it.Al didn't acknowledge Johnny. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking to Aloysius. "Milk - on the rocks, please.""Sure, Sheriff," said Aloysius. He bent under the bar, took out a small glass and poured the milk into it. He then pushed it over to Al and stepped back beside where Penny was standing.Silence fell upon the saloon again with the wind continuing to whistle outside. Everyone wanted to see what would happen. Al didn't look at his brothers and instead kept his eyes on the glass of milk. Scotty, Gordo and Johnny watched him closely too. It was like both were waiting to see who was going to crack first.Slowly, Al began to move his hand towards the glass. He almost touched it when a gunshot suddenly rang out. Scotty had cracked first and his shot shattered the glass spilling the milk all over the bar. Al duck down and had his gun drawn before his brothers even had a chance to blink. He returned fire, one bullet shattering Scotty and Johnny's glasses and forcing them and Gordo to dive for cover. The few locals who were in the bar ran for the door and were guided out by Tanusha who'd been hiding outside the door.Al fired another shot which caused Johnny's hat to fly off his head. As he dived out of sight his own gun went off which hit the mirror behind the bar and shattered it and caused Aloysius and Penny to duck for cover. More bullets hit bottles and glasses and shattered them too.Penny's head popped up from behind the bar momentarily. "Okay, Virg, keep it going!" she urged.So Virg started playing again, despite the constant sound of gunshots being fired back and forth across the saloon. He wasn't worried because he knew none of the shots were being fired at him and he had the utmost confidence in Al that he'd be able to handle it.Johnny leant around from where he was hiding and tried to get a shot off at Al. al however was too quick for him and fired first. The bullet chipped the wooden front of the bar inches from Johnny and he jumped which caused his gun to fly out of his hand and landed a few feet away from him. He tried to reach out to get it."Don't move!" Al ordered. "Hold it right there!"Scotty had dived away when the firing had first started and had concealed himself behind one of the wooden walls where Al couldn't see him. He had his gun ready to start shooting but didn't notice Tanusha had now entered the saloon and had snuck up behind him. She took hold of a wooden chair, lifted it up and then slammed it down over his head, knocking him down and forcing him to drop his gun which she quickly seized.Gordo hadn't taken part in the battle at all up until this point. With Scotty knocked down and Johnny at gunpoint he felt it was time to make his move. Slowly he began to rise up from where he'd been hiding behind the bar with his eyes fixed firmly on Al."Oh, no you don't!" said Penny when she noticed. She grabbed a custard pie and slammed it into Gordo's face causing him to fall over onto the floor. "Now let that be a lesson to you, boy!" she scolded. "Don't ever be rude to a lady!"Al had gotten hold of Johnny's gun and was now using it as well as his own to cover his brothers. "Well done, Penny, Tanusha," he congratulated. "Okay, brothers, get your hands up!"Johnny was the first to stand. "We'll get even with you, Al," he cursed.Scotty was next to stand with his hands raised as Tanusha was covering him with his own gun as well as her own.Gordo was the last to reappear. He let out a hiccup as he did. "W-W-What's going on here?" he asked in a drunken-sounding voice."Good," said Al with a satisfied tone in his voice. "Now let's get them down to the jailhouse."It didn't take long for Al and Tanusha to get Scotty, Johnny and Gordo taken to the Sheriff's Office where they were locked in the cage at the very back of the building. As Tanusha secured them in the cell, Virg watched with partial dismay and partial satisfaction. Dismay that his own brothers were in the situation that they were and satisfaction that their reign of terror had been brought to an end.Al had had a copy of the Wanted poster for his brothers up on the wall in his office. Now they were caught he was able to remove it.Tanusha turned the key in the lock and stepped back to look at the prisoners. "There you go, boys," she said. "Now you can stay in there and cool your hot heads for a while."The telephone rang. Al answered it. "Hello? Sheriff here.""Trouble down the Triple-Creek Rodeo, Sheriff," said a voice on the other end. "You think you can come?""Sure, Sim," replied Al. "I'll be right over." He put the receiver back down."Wait, you're not leaving, are you, Al?" asked Virg, worried. He didn't like the thought of him not keeping an eye on their brothers."Afraid so, bro," said. "Sim's got some trouble and I'd better go sort it. I'll be back inside an hour.""Don't worry, Virg," said Tanusha. "I'll be here to make sure they don't cause trouble."Virg was still uneasy, but he felt he could trust Tanusha, especially when she batted her eyelids at him. "Very well," he said. "At least I can rest easy tonight knowing they're no longer terrorising people. Need a lift to the rodeo, Al?""Please," said Al as he and Virg headed for the door."Still not got your own car, Al?" asked Gordo, still sounding a bit drunk."SILENCE!" snapped Tanusha making the three brothers in the cell jump.Virg and Al shot their brothers a final glare before heading out the door."See you in a while, Tanusha," promised Al."Take as long as you need, Sheriff," said Tanusha as she sat herself in his chair. "Don't worry about a thing. Nothing's going to go wrong."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

IT had been a good hour since Sheriff Al left to deal with whatever the problem at the Triple Creek Rodeo was. In that time, Scotty, Johnny and Gordo stayed in the cell and managed to sober up enough to orchestrate an escape plan. But their chance came sooner than expected. Tanusha had been working long hours and was pretty tired. She had spent most of the time reading the newspaper, but tiredness got the better of her and to the surprise and delight of the felons, she dozed off and began snoozing in the chair.The keys to the cell had been left out on the desk near to where Tanusha was, and on the corner closest to the cell. Using a piece of thin string that had been found inside one of Gordo's pockets, they attached it to a small metal hook that Scotty had been keeping in one of his own and Johnny had flung it over the bars. It landed on the desk on top of the ring that the keys were on."You got it?" whispered Scotty."I think so," Johnny replied. "Just a little more. Easy." But the hook slipped off the top having not gotten a hold after all. "Blast!" said Johnny out loud."Shhhhh!" hissed Gordo and Scotty. They all looked at Tanusha but she didn't wake."Try it again," Scotty said after making sure it was still safe to do so.Johnny reeled the hook in and then swung it out again. This time he scored lucky and the hook caught on. "Yes! That's it," he said, not too loudly though and gently began to pull the keys along the table.Tanusha shifted slightly and the three brothers froze thinking she was about to wake up. But she did not, which was lucky for them."That's it," said Johnny as sweat began to trickle down from his forehead. Scotty and Gordo were feeling the tension as well. "Easy now. Easy."The keys then left the table, swung round and clanged against the metal bars despite Johnny's best efforts to catch it."Shhhh!" hissed the other two again. But still Tanusha didn't wake.Johnny checked the keys and tried each one before he eventually found the one that unlocked the cell. Pulling the door open, the three brothers snuck out and prepared to make their next move. They knew that they couldn't just sneak out and leave. They would have to do something to try and ensure that Tanusha couldn't warn Al if she then woke and discovered they were gone. They wanted to be a long way out of Alanstown before it was discovered they were gone."Johnny, you and Gordo take care of her," Scotty whispered. "I'll get the guns.""Got it," said Johnny. "Let's go."The three brothers snuck around the desk. Scotty went to the far side where he had seen Al put their guns into one of the drawers. Gordo approached the sleeping and unsuspecting Tanusha with a coil of rope that they'd found whilst Johnny prepared a piece of cloth.The first that Tanusha knew of anything wrong was when she suddenly felt the cloth being tied around her head and forced into her mouth. "What's happening?!" she cried out in alarm. That was all she was able to say for the gag was pulled tight and her cries became frantic muffles whilst Gordo hastily bound her wrists, legs and torso to the chair.Scotty pulled open the drawer and retrieved their guns. He quickly grew irritated of Tanusha's muffled screams. "Keep quiet!" he ordered. "Or I'll have to-" He was cut off when the telephone started ringing which startled all three of them. "Don't answer it!" Scotty said. "Let's get out of here. We'll make for the border!"They hurried for the door leaving a furious and terrified Tanusha bound on the chair glaring at them. She tugged to try and free herself as the telephone continued to ring.Scotty waited until Gordo and Johnny were out of the door before turning back to face Tanusha. "Hope it stays warm for you, love," he said slyly before raising his gun and shooting the gaslight down from the ceiling which once again was set alight after being shot at again. "See you around, love," Scotty finished before making his exit.Tanusha was horrified by the situation she was in. not only was she bound and gagged but now she'd been left to get burned alive by the fire that was slowly spreading as the gas spread out across the floor. The telephone was still ringing and she knew it had to be Al who was ringing. She began to rock the chair and tried to lean forwards in order to try and knock it onto the floor so she could try and alert him if she could. The brothers ran back across the street to where their stolen getaway car was still parked outside the Saloon. They jumped in, Gordo started the engine and they drove off out of Alanstown as fast as they could, but not with the excitable joy that they'd had when they'd escaped from Spoke City that morning. This time it was out of desperation and fear for their lives.They'd barely driven out of sight when another vehicle entered the town. This one was slightly larger and painted in a grey and purple livery. It was being driven by the bounty hunter duo of H. A. Voc and Fusebox. They were surprised when they saw the brothers fleeing from the now burning Sheriff's Office."What?!" exclaimed H. A. Voc. "You mean to say someone caught them before we did?! That's not fair!"Fusebox looked at the burning building nearby. "Do you reckon anybody's inside?" he asked. "Should we help them?""Don't be stupid!" snapped H. A. Voc. "We'd be locked up if we weren't trying to collect a bounty! I have an idea where they're going. Come on!" She put their car into gear and headed off out of the town. Al couldn't understand why nobody was answering the phone. He tried again. "Operator! Operator! What's going on?" he demanded.It was at that moment that Tanusha was finally able to shift her body over enough so she could knock the telephone off the desk and onto the floor. The receiver came off and she began trying to call out despite the gag in her mouth."Tanusha?" Al asked, surprised. "Is that you? What's wrong?""MMMMMPH!" came the reply over the phone. "MMM MMMPH MMM MMMMMMMPH!"Al quickly realised what this meant. "Hang on, Tanusha. I'm coming!" He hung up on the phone he was using and turned to Virg. "Get me back there, pronto!" he instructed. "I think they've escaped!" The escaped brothers had driven a few miles to escape from Alanstown. They reached a crossroads and Gordo stopped. A brown sign stood by the side of the road. The right turning would take them to Attuma whilst the left would take them to the border."What's the idea?" demanded Johnny. "Why have you stopped?""Look, we've made a plan," Scotty replied. "I'm therefore saying that we stick to it."Gordo was quick to disagree. "Well I think the plan needs to be changed," he said. "One, this car won't make it over the mountain road. And two, I'm not risking my neck in Attuma!""What risk?" asked Scotty."With the amount of gold that train's going to be carrying there's bound to be armed guards," Gordo said."Look, I'm just glad to be out of that cell," Johnny said. "Stop arguing and let's get going!""Who's arguing?" asked Scotty. "I'm saying Attuma.""You said the border when we were leaving the jailhouse!" Gordo pointed out."Slip of the tongue," Scotty insisted. "Now come on!""No, Scotty, not this time," Gordo said. "I'm driving this thing and I'm saying the border." He put the car into gear and started to move off to the left."What are you doing?!" Scotty demanded, trying to grab the wheel. "STOP IT SAY! STOP!" Tanusha had never felt her heart beating so fast before as the fire crept closer to where she lay, still bound and unable to move. She tried calling 'Help' but it remained muffled. She then heard a crash as the door flew open.Al and Virg sprinted in. "WOAH!" they both cried because they were met by the wall of flames."Find Tanusha!" Virg called over the roar of the fire. "I'll deal with this!"Al ran round the back of the desk and found Tanusha lying on the floor. Virg grabbed a bucket of sand from outside which he threw over the flames. The sand killed the oxygen that the fire was using to burn and it was soon out. By the time it was, Al had removed the gag from Tanusha's mouth and freed her from her bonds. He then hurried her outside so she could breath in some fresh air. She wasn't hurt luckily, but was very shaken. The brothers hadn't gotten very far. A verbal fight had broken out. Scotty was still wanting to go after the gold. But Johnny and Gordo just wanted to get as far away from any more potential crimes as possible."THAT TRAIN WILL BE ON ITS WAY ANYTIME NOW!" Scotty thundered. "WE CAN STILL MAKE IT!""I WON'T DO IT!" Gordo shouted back. "I TOLD YOU, THIS CAR WON'T MAKE THAT ROAD!""THEN GET OUT OF THAT DRIVING SEAT!" demanded Scotty. "IF YOU WON'T DRIVE, I WILL!""OH, FOR PETE'S SAKE, JUST CUT IT OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" roared Johnny. "THIS IS GETTING US NOWHERE!""TELL PIG'S BRAIN HERE THAT HE NEEDS TO FOLLOW MY ORDERS!" bellowed Scotty."WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF GOLD FROM ALL THOSE OTHER BANK JOBS!" Gordo yelled. "WHY SHOULD JOHNNY AND I HAVE TO SUFFER TO FILL YOUR GREED?!""GREED?!" exclaimed Scotty. "I'M TRYING TO GET US BACK WHAT WE'RE OWED. WHAT DAD REFUSE TO GIVE US!""You mean give you!" Johnny lowered his voice. "I heard what you and Virg were saying. "Maybe he and Al were right to abandon you!"Scotty nearly exploded like a volcano. Despite being shaken, Tanusha was none the worse for her ordeal. "That sure was a near thing, Sheriff," she said to Al. "I figure they must have-"Al wasn't actually concerned about how or why his brothers had escaped. He was more concerned for where they were going next. "It's okay, Tanusha. There's no time for that now," he said. "I don't suppose you were able to hear where they were going?""Actually I did," Tanusha replied. "After tying me up Scotty said about heading for the border."Al scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The border? Strange. They really had their hearts set on the gold in Attuma. Unless…""What are you thinking, Al?" asked Virg.Al made up his mind. "Tanusha, Virg, they're desperate men, and extremely greedy. Especially Scotty. I'll stake my reputation on them going for the gold. And I'm going to be there to catch them when they do.""And how do you plan to do that?" asked Tanusha."I know the engineer of the train," said Al. "I'll hitch a ride. Then when they make a move. I'll be ready for them.""You be damn careful, bro," warned Virg. "Brothers or not, they're real mean. After what they did in the bar I doubt they'll think twice about shooting you.""They can try," said Al with confidence. "Don't worry, Virg. I'll bring an end to their reign of terror." The argument was still blazing inside the car. Even though he was outnumbered by choices, Scotty was still demanding that they turn right at the crossroads and head for Attuma. Gordo and Johnny had had enough of his ordering and were preparing to overrule him and make for the border.But their arguing was soon brought to an abrupt end when a grey and purple car pulled up on the left side of them. The three brothers stared in alarm at the sinister smirk on the woman's face looking back at them."Hello, boys," H. A. Voc said warmly.In an instance, the brothers forgot their anger towards each other and became desperate."The Beastly Bounty-Hunters?!" exclaimed Scotty. "What are you doing here?""Come to collect our prize," said Fusebox with a grin. "Mr Hood's put quite a price on your heads and we're here to collect it.""In your dreams!" growled Gordo, and before anyone could say anything, he spun the steering wheel round to the right and pushed his foot hard down on the accelerator. The car sped off in the direction of Attuma with its back wheels kicking up a cloud of dust that sprayed the Bounty-Hunters' car and making the occupants cough and splutter."I see," said H. A. Voc. "What to play chase, do we? Well, two can play that game!" She then turned their own car round to the right and set off in pursuit.The mountain road was steep and like Gordo predicted, the car struggled up the hills. The Bounty-Hunters' car was more powerful and as such closed the gap numerous times with the brothers managing to open it when they raced down the other side. The brothers were afraid for their lives even more now. They'd heard about Fusebox and H. A. Vok before and knew that they'd never failed to complete a mission that they had been hired to do. The same could almost be said about the two Bounty-Hunters, for their continual success made them somewhat overconfident that they could get the job done easily. That's why they'd said to Mr Hood how they would have the brothers delivered to him by the end of the day.The road was narrow and there were no passing points. H. A. Voc tried numerous times to get around the side to ram the brothers' car into the rocks and stop them, but Gordo used his driving skills to block her each time. This soon began to irritate H. A. Vok to the point where she began ramming the back of their car and making the brothers yelp."LOSE THEM, GORDO!" yelled Johnny."HOW CAN I?!" Gordo yelled back. "THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO!"H. A. Voc's patience soon ran out. "This is getting us nowhere," she said. "Fusebox. You're up!"Fusebox giggled as he opened a metal box in front of him. It was full of his special home-made explosive grenades which could be used to cause rockslides and disable vehicles. "With pleasure," he said. He took one of the grenades out, flicked the catch and then threw it at the rocks beside the brothers car. It exploded and caused a mini-rockslide but Gordo just managed to dodge it. Fusebox threw another, this time on the other side. Some larger rocks hit the bonnet of the brothers' car and bounced off whilst the engine made almost hurt-sounding noises."SHE CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS!" Gordo yelled to his brothers.Luck was what saved the brothers in the end. As they made a sharp left bend, Fusebox through another grenade. This one completely missed the car and landed on the road. Neither he nor H. A. Vok noticed until it exploded just as their own car passed over it. They cried out in alarm as they were engulfed in a plume of black smoke before their engine conked out and the car ground to a halt whilst the brothers were able to chug away to safety.H. A. Voc and Fusebox was completely blackened by the smoke. Fusebox was the first to find his voice. "Errr, that wasn't supposed to happen."H. A. Vok was furious and began punching him viciously in the face. "YOU IDIOT!" she shrieked. "YOU USELESS…STUPID…BLITHERING IDIOT!" Unaware of the trouble his brothers had been in, Al had gotten himself aboard the Mail Express train. The gold had been loaded into a special car located at the rear and was now making its way north. The Texas Belle was the name of the steam locomotive and was driven by Mec - the very tall engineer with a mohawk so pointy that his engineer's cap had a hole cut in the top so it would fit through."We'll need at the speed we can get, Mec," Al said as he rode in the cab."No problem, Sheriff," replied Mec. He then spoke to the locomotive. "Come on, old girl, let's show the Sheriff what you can do!"Al grinned. He'd ridden on the cab of the locomotive before but even on duty it gave him quite a thrill. "Great, Mec," he said. "My brothers must be stopped." Realising they were now in the clear, the Tracy brothers raced to a safe location before stopping to ease the strain on the car's engine as well as get their breath back."Gee, that sure was a close one!" remarked Johnny."Now what?" asked Gordo."We carry on," Scotty said. "In case you hadn't noticed, we've pretty much entered Attuma.""But, Scotty-" his brothers began to protest."But nothing!" Scotty barked. "If we go back we'll encounter those two again. Plus I suspect Al's now realised we've escaped. He'll be arranging an army to come looking for us. I say we hit that train and then retire from this life to a better one."Gordo and Johnny exchanged looks. They didn't like it, but realised they didn't have much choice in the matter."Fine!" Gordo relented. "But I'm warning you, Scotty. If this car blows up, don't blame me!""Then what are we waiting for?" asked Scotty."Who's waiting?" Gordo replied sarcastically.They set off again and continued the journey along the twisty, rough and bumpy road through the mountains. The engine backfired periodically as it struggled up the steepest hill they'd encountered so far. If the Bounty-Hunters had still been after them, this would have been where they would have caught the brothers."Come on, baby," Gordo encouraged the car as its engine seemed to scream in pain. "You can make it!""What's wrong with this thing?" asked Scotty. "Are you sure the brake's off?"With a cough, a splutter, a hiccup and yet another backfire, the car reached the top of the hill and began to race down the other side."WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!" the three brothers jeered as they powerslid down the road and rounded a sharp bend.It was then that they suddenly heard the sound of a steam engine's whistle echoing through the mountains. They then rounded another bend and saw the railroad track a few hundred yards in front of them. The road crossed the tracks right in front of a tunnel portal. Having no idea where the train was they continued towards the crossing.Suddenly the whistle was heard again and the train came racing out of the tunnel."LOOK OUT!" yelled Johnny. Gordo slammed on the brakes and stopped the car a few inches from the track as the train's rake of five carriages plus armored van rattled past at a much greater speed than they were managing."WHAT THE BLAZES?!" Scotty shouted at Gordo. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!""You see what's happened?" Johnny snapped. "With all your arguing and trying to escape from those dang Bounty-Hunters, the train's gotten ahead of us!""That's not all," added Gordo. "I could have sworn I saw Al in the cab of that locomotive!""Are you sure?!" Scotty almost shrieked."Of course I'm sure!" said Gordo hotly."Then get after them!" ordered Scotty.The car wasn't in good shape as they set off in pursuit of the train. Its engine continued to cough and its axles were getting rather hot but Gordo forced it to keep going.From the footplate of the locomotive, Al and Mec watched as the car tried to close the gap but wasn't succeeding at the moment. Mec noticed the steam pressure was getting a little high so he pulled the whistle chain to let some of the excess out. "Hot diggity damn!" he said cheerfully. "That's my girl! Looks like we've left 'em, Sheriff!""I'm not so sure about that," Al replied. Despite the gap between them, he felt certain that his brothers would find a way to catch up.The brothers tried hard to catch the train, but with every passing second it gradually got further and further away from them."Can't you go any faster?" asked Scotty."I've got my foot all the way down!" Gordo replied.It was then that Johnny noticed something on the dashboard. It was a small lever with a label that read 'Supercharger' underneath. "What does that do?" he asked and moved it out of curiosity."WOW!" the three brothers exclaimed together, for the booster gave the engine a huge surge in power. The car shot off like a bullet from a gun and was now doing a much greater speed than the train was.Al grimaced when he saw the sudden increase in speed of the car and took out his gun in readiness for another fight."Keep her going!" Scotty urged. "We're gaining on them!"Slowly but surely, the car closed the gap and began to run alongside the train. They knew that even though the gold was in the rear most piece of rolling stock, they wouldn't be able to access it until the train had been stopped. And to do that, they were first going to have to take care of Al. they knew full well that so long as he was aboard, they had no chance of getting their hands on the gold. As much as they felt reluctant deep down to take out their own brother, they knew that they were going to have to if they were to succeed.Al too had the same feelings. Despite their severe difference, they were still his brothers and he wasn't overly keen on having to shoot at them. All the same, he knew the gunfight was inevitable and was just waiting for them to take the first shot. "Come on, Scotty, I'm ready for you!" he said.Soon the car passed the armoured van, the five carriages and the tender to almost draw level with the cab of the locomotive. Here the brothers fixed their eyes on Al who did the same from his position."He's got a gun!" exclaimed Gordo."Well of course he has!" retorted Scotty. "He's a Sheriff, ain't he?" He had pulled himself partially out of the side of the car, even though he was on the opposite side to where the train was and had his own gun ready. He raised it and began firing at Al who returned fire. Bullets flew back and forth and ricochet sounds could be heard off the locomotive's cab and tender as well as the car's body. Gordo got a bit further forward than he intended so Scotty had to fire over the roof of the car to try and get at Al, but the bumpiness of the road made it impossible to get a hit.Al was having the same issue. Even though he wasn't trying to hit his brothers, he was more trying to disable the car. As the gunfight between brothers raged, nobody could have known that H. A. Voc and Fusebox had stopped their own fighting and had positioned themselves on a cliff overlooking the rail and dirt roads."Here they come!" said H. A. Voc. "Pass me two grenades. I'm gonna enjoy this."Fusebox, with two black eyes and a swollen face after the beating he'd gotten from H. A. Voc, did so without a word. He passed two of his special grenades to her before taking two out for himself.As the train and car approached, they pulled the pins and threw the grenades together off the top. Two landed by the railroad and the other two on the dirty road. They exploded, rocking the train and the car and in doing so, Scotty was thrown from the car onto a nearby chunk of rock."SCOTTY!" cried Johnny."OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" wailed Scotty, tears streaking from his eyes in excruciating pain. "My back is broken!"Al too was alarmed to see what had happened. He, Gordo and Johnny looked up at the cliff and saw the figures of the Bounty Hunters standing above them as they threw more grenades down. One landed in the tender of the locomotive. Al pulled Mec down as the explosion sent huge chunks of wood used to fuel the fire were thrown out in all directions. Some were broken in smaller pieces. One piece cutting Gordo on the cheek and making him bleed whilst other bits broke the carriage windows and frightening the already confused passengers."Al looked at Johnny. Johnny looked at Al. Both could tell what the other was thinking. Criminal or not, they were both livid by what had happened to Scotty. They nodded at each other before pointing their guns up and began firing at the Bounty-Hunters.It would never be known who scored the shot, but as H. A. Voc prepared to throw a third pair of grenades, a bullet hit her in the right leg. She cried out and fell forwards. She dropped the grenades which fell over the edge of the cliff. She then realised too late how close she was to the edge and with an final terrified scream she plunged over the cliff down onto the rocks far below. The grenades also exploded halfway down causing a small landslide which buried her after she'd reached the bottom."NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Fusebox's roar of rage echoed out across the valley. "YOU'LL ALL DIE FOR THAT!" He threw his two grenades down at the train and car that were passing underneath. Al somehow managed to see one of them coming. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a piece of wood not destroyed by the previous grenade and used it like a baseball bat to knock the grenade back up towards the Bounty-Hunter. By the time Fusebox saw the grenade return and land directly in the box that the grenades were kept in, it was too late for him to do anything about it. "Oh…FU-"There was a monstrous explosion as the grenade detonated and set off the remaining ten that were in the box. It engulfed Fusebox and destroyed the ledge which came crashing down onto the track and road below with whatever remained of Fusebox's body being buried along with his partner forever."YEAH!" Gordo yelled back with satisfaction. "THAT'LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH US!""Just watch where you're going!" Johnny called. "LOOK OUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"Too late, the car collided with a cactus and the bounce created by the impact threw Johnny out of the car as well."JOHNNY?!" Gordo yelled.Like Scotty, all Johnny could do was go "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" with the amount of pain he was now in from having landed heavily on the road. Al grimaced at seeing what had happened to Johnny. He looked at Gordo who was now all alone in the car and now it looked as though the car had decided it had had enough of being mistreated for he was now struggling to maintain control of it."GORDO!" Al yelled. "THE GAME'S UP! STOP BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF!""AL, I'M SORRY!" Gordo yelled back. "I DIDN'T WANT ANY OF THIS! SCOTTY FORCED ME TO DO THIS!""I KNOW!" Al yelled again. "I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO LOCK ANY OF YOU UP! STOP THE CAR AND I CAN HELP YOU!"Gordo decided that he needed to agree to Al's wishes. But as he tried to apply the brakes on the car, nothing happened. "COME ON!" he shouted. "STOP, WILL YOU?!""Slow us down!" Al called to Mec. "I need to help him if I can!"Mec shut off steam and eased the speed of the locomotive down. But the car showed no sign of slowing down and suddenly raced off ahead of the train. Then, to Gordo's horror, the steering wheel came off in his hands. He had no control over the car at all now. It spiralled from left to right before veering off the road entirely and mounting the railroad track where its wheels got jammed and it stopped. Gordo was initially relieved until he realised he was now right in the path of the locomotive which hadn't slowed enough to be able to stop in time. "Oh, no!" he cried. He jumped out of the car and let out a Wilhelm scream as he ran for safety.There was a horrendous shriek from the locomotive's whistle before it ploughed into the car. The car was smashed to pieces and the remains were shoved along the track for a short distance before jamming under the cowcatcher. This lifted the front of the locomotive off the track and it rolled over the edge into a ravine below.Gordo watched in utter horror as the train with all its passengers and Al still aboard tumbled down into the ravine with the sounds of terrified screams before the locomotive's boiler ruptured and exploded."ALAN?!" Gordo wailed in despair. "ALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" ***Dream Sequence Ends*** "Alan? Come on, buddy, wake up!"Alan stirred and opened his eyes. He tried to look around only to discover he couldn't see anything. He appeared to have been wrapped up in something cosy yet he suddenly found himself beginning to panic. "W-W-What the?!" he exclaimed and began to squirm. "Where am I?! Help!""Woah there, Alan, easy!" a voice was heard from somewhere outside of the object he was wrapped in. "Hold still whilst we get you out of there."The object was unwound and Alan found himself being freed. It turned out to be his duvet that he was wrapped up in. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light coming in through the window and looked around to find Virgil and Gordon were the ones unwrapping him. He also realised he was also on the floor, not in the bed when he'd gone to sleep. "Huh? Where am I?" he asked. "How did I get down here?""Looks like you fell out of bed, bro," said John.Alan blinked. "John?!" Then his eye fell upon the other person in the room. It was Scott, who was looking a little uneasy yet someone sad that he was there. "Scott?""Hey, Alan," Scott answered, his voice sounding nervous. Alan leapt to his feet and ran at Scott. Scott braced himself for what he felt certain was about to come. Virgil, John and Gordon also made moves to separate the brothers as they'd feared. But to everyone's surprise, instead of attacking Scott, Alan threw his arms around his big brother and started crying. "Scotty!" he sobbed. "You're alive!"Scott was confused. "Of course I am," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?""I thought you were dead when you fell out the car!" sobbed Alan. "Then Johnny got thrown out and then Gordo lost control of the car and it ended up getting crushed by the train before we fell off the tracks!"The four remaining brothers exchanged looks of bewilderment."What the heck are you talking about, Alan?" asked Gordon. "We haven't been anywhere the past two days.""And neither have you," added John. "You've been asleep for twenty hours."Alan blinked. "Then, what did I experience?" he asked."Sounds like you've been dreaming," Virgil remarked."I guess I must have been," said Alan. he turned back to Scott and looked him straight in the eyes. "Scott. I'm so sorry for what I did in Texas," he said. "Please forgive me."Scott pulled his youngest brother into a hug. "No, Alan. I'm the one who's sorry," he said, beginning to shed a few tears of his own. "I've been a total idiot blaming you for what happened. The more I thought about it, the more I've come to realise I probably would've done worse to that felon that you did.""Dad's sorting it all out as best he can," Virgil said."Although Schultz's lawyer is still determined to have you prosecuted for severely injuring him," said Gordon.Alan looked at the floor in dismay."Guys, let's not discuss that now," John said. "You do know what tomorrow is, right, Alan?"Alan looked at him for a moment. Then he realised that his room wasn't exactly how it had been when he'd gone to sleep. Not only was it clean and tidy but there were decorations all around the room. There were a string of fairy lights and a small tree on top of his chest of drawers. His face lit up as realisation dawned on him. "No way!" he exclaimed. "Is it?""Happy Christmas!" said his brothers and they all embraced in one massive hug. In an instance, Alan forgot all about the events in Spoke City and felt happier than he'd done in days.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

CHRISTMAS Day soon arrived and some level of happiness had returned to Tracy Island. The house had been decorated with all the usual decorations that the family would put up every year and the large tree that stood tall and proud out on the patio glistened in the sun. A smaller tree was inside the lounge, covered in twinkling lights, tinsel and other decorations including little models of the ships. Thunderbird 5's model stood proudly at the top.Kayo had also regained consciousness whilst Alan had been resting although she was still severely injured and was confined to a bed in the medical bay. She was very happy to see Alan and they had a tearful reunion with Alan apologising not only for not being able to help her but for what he did to Schultz afterwards. Kayo didn't blame him for anything. She, like Scott, admitted that if it had been him or any of the other brothers who Schultz had hurt, she would have done the exact same thing herself.Normally Christmas Day on Tracy Island would be a quiet and uneventful time. Even with the tree and all the decorations up it was still extremely hot outside so the brothers undertook their annual Christmas Day swim in the pool and surfboarding off the beach. They expected the rest of the day to go smoothly. Little did they know that would not be the case.Lunch was fast approaching as Virgil and Brains helped Grandma in the kitchen. Normally Kayo would have helped but couldn't because of her injuries. Scott, Alan, John and Gordon were in the lounge with Jeff watching as Alan tried out a new hover skateboard that Jeff had got for him."Wow! Thanks, Dad," Alan said when he'd finished trying it out. "This is awesome!""Glad you like it, son," Jeff replied. "How are you feeling mentally?""Loads better," Alan said. "I don't think the thoughts of what I've done will go away quickly, but I feel better knowing you all have my back.""Always," promised Scott."Schultz is still in hospital," Jeff said. "Yes he has lost both his legs. They had to be amputated. He and his lawyer want your head on a platter, but rest assured, son. I will NOT let that happen. Schultz is a dangerous man with no remorse. Men like that don't deserve to get what they want."Alan smiled meekly. But before he could say anything, a beeping sound made them all jump. It was EOS calling from Thunderbird 5."Sorry to interrupt," EOS said. "But I'm afraid we have a situation.""EOS, I asked you to forward any emergencies to local authorities," John said sternly. "This is the one day of the year that we need family time.""Emergencies don't stop whatever day it is, John," Jeff reminded him. "What's the problem, EOS?""I couldn't forward this one on to any local authorities for good reason," EOS explained. "This is what I'm getting." She forwarded a live message which appeared in hologram form from the desk. What it showed sent chills down the spines of all present. A female officer pilot of an aircraft appeared."Mayday! Mayday! This is Air Force One! We need help urgently! Our orbital thrusters are failing. We are in danger of falling back to Earth! Can anybody hear me? Mayday! Mayday!""Since when did Air Force One gain the ability to go into space?" asked Gordon."Since they got that brand new ZK-76 Aerospaceliner," Scott replied."EOS, put me through to Air Force One!" instructed Jeff."Affirmative," EOS replied and connected him through the endangered craft."Air Force One, this is Jeff Tracy of International Rescue. Can we be of assistance?"The female pilot of Air Force One had complete panic in her voice. "International Rescue? Oh, God! We are falling out of orbit! We can't correct or angle. We're going to burn up!""Is the President on board?" asked Jeff."Affirmative," replied the pilot. "So's his entire family. It's no good! We're going to hit the atmosphere within minutes. There's nothing we can do!""Stay calm!" Jeff instructed. "We'll be right up to you. Alan, Scott, I know I wanted you both to rest but-""We're on it, Dad," said Scott. He turned towards the chairs. "Let's go, Ala-" He broke off. "Alan?!"Jeff, John and Gordon looked around. Alan had disappeared. And then they saw the chairs that were used to take the crew to Thunderbird 3 were missing."Looks like he's already gone," Gordon said, stating the obvious.Alan had not waited to hear all of what the pilot of Air Force One had had to say. As soon as he'd heard that the craft was falling out of orbit, he had rushed to his chair and was already beginning the launch sequence. By the time the others realised he was gone, he was already kitted up in his uniform and being lifted via the hydraulic crane into Thunderbird 3. As the blast shield closed to seal it off from the rest of the silo, he was at the controls and ready for launch.5! 4! 3! 2! 1!Thunderbird 3's engines roared and the giant red rocket rose up out of its silo before soaring off towards space. "Thunderbird 3 is go!" Alan said. He then radioed the island. "Thunderbird 3 to base. Sorry for the abrupt launch, Dad, but every second counts on this one. That plane's going to hit the atmosphere any time now.""It's okay, Alan," Jeff answered. "Good luck, son."FAB1 was flying towards Tracy Island. It had become somewhat of a tradition for Lady Penelope to spend at least some part of Christmas with the Tracy family. As the island came into view after the long flight, both were very surprised when they saw a smoke trail rising from the island coming from a long but small object that was heading directly upwards towards space."How very odd," Penelope remarked. "Is that Thunderbird 3, Parker?""H'I believe so, m'lady," Parker replied. "I'm pretty sure h'it was red."Penelope was worried. "Someone must be in trouble," she said. "Good heavens, I wonder who?""Must be someone h'important to 'ave h'a launch h'on Christmas Day," agreed Parker.Virgil and Grandma entered the lounge. They'd heard the sound of Thunderbird 3 launch and came to see what had happened."Did I just hear Thunderbird 3 launching?" asked Virgil."You did, Virgil," John replied. "Air Force One is in danger of burning up. Alan has responded, rather quicker than we were expecting."Grandma cursed. "Seriously! Of all the times! Just as we're about to dish up dinner!""Sorry, Mother," said Jeff. "But the President and his family are aboard Air Force One. We need to save them if we can.""Wait, Alan's gone alone?" Virgil exclaimed, suddenly realising that everyone else was there."He left before we'd even got the full brief from the pilot," Scott explained.Jeff grimaced slightly. "Scott, I think you'd better launch as well. I have a bad feeling about this."Thunderbird 3 left the Earth's atmosphere and headed around to a location just above the United States. Alan soon caught sight of Air Force One which was now dangerously close to re-entering."Air Force One, this is Thunderbird 3," Alan said into the radio. "I have visual contact. What's your status?""Engines still not responding," the Captain answered. "We have less than a minute before we will hit the atmosphere! At this angle we'll burn up for sure!""Not if I can help it, Captain," said Alan with determination. "Hang on. I'm gonna try to pull you back into orbit."From inside Air Force One, President Young, his wife Janet, sons Michael and Christopher and young daughter Maggie were strapped in their seats along with the members of staff. None of them knew that help had arrived so were very surprised when Christopher spotted a large red rocket coming at them from outside. "Look, it's Thunderbird 3!" he cried excitedly.This raised hope for everyone aboard, the President most of all. They watched as Thunderbird 3's grasping arms were deployed and waited to see what would happen next.Using the targeting computer, Alan locked onto the aerospaceplane and fired a grapple onto the fuselage. "Bulls-eye!" he said. "Now to pull them back to safety." He turned Thunderbird 3 to the right and tried to pull Air Force One gently along with it. But the craft was heavier than he thought and only edged slightly. It wasn't going to be enough to save it. "Come on!" Alan urged. "Come on!"Brains suddenly appeared on the hologram projector. "It's t-too late, Thunderbird 3!" he said. "There's n-nothing you can d-do for them now! You have to l-let go!""Sorry, Brains," Alan replied. "Not today. The Americans can't lose their president today of all days!" And he cut Brains off before he could reply.Then he had an idea. He detached the grapple cable and moved Thunderbird 3 round behind Air Force One and closed in at the tail section. But he couldn't get as close as he wanted as the craft's engines were still on. "Air Force One, cut your tail engines. I need to grab hold of your tail!""What?! Are you crazy?!" cried the Captain. "We'll end up falling to Earth!""Trust me!" Alan insisted. "I'll be your manoeuvring jets and guide you through the atmosphere."The Captain and Co-Pilot exchanged worried looks, but quickly realised that if the President was to be saved then they had no other choice. "Roger that," said the Captain. "Disengaging engines. I hope you know what you're doing, International Rescue.""So do I," Alan muttered to himself. This was an extremely risky move but he was determined to save the life of the President, even if it meant losing his own in the process.As the main thrusters of Air Force One were cut, Alan moved Thunderbird 3 right in and grabbed hold of the tail section with one grab and the two rear stabilising wings with the other two. He then turned Air Force One to port and directed it at the correct angle for allowing it to pass through the Earth's atmosphere without it burning up, so he hoped. Within seconds of doing this the orange glow of fire appeared as they hit the atmosphere and the heat shields on both ships began to do their jobs. The G-force became intense and both ships were shaking hard. Alan and the pilots of Air Force One grimaced but held themselves for they'd experienced this many times before. For the rest of Air Force One's occupants however, this was their first time experiencing anything like it and so several, including Janet and the children began screaming in terror. Bottles and glasses in the cabinets began falling over and breaking as they had not been secured in the panic by the stewards. The President had to shield his wife and children from getting hit by any whilst his security team did what they could to protect him.On Tracy Island, the entire family plus Lady Penelope and Parker watched anxiously on the hologram image as Thunderbird 3 guided Air Force One through the atmosphere."How's he looking, Brains?" asked Jeff."It's g-going to be c-close, Mr Tracy," replied Brains."Come on, Alan," Kayo whispered under her breath. Her heart raced like everyone else's.Thunderbird 3 and Air Force One had now made it through the upper atmosphere and were passing through several cloud layers."We've made it through, Air Force One," Alan said. "Try your engines now."The Captain tried to restart the malfunctioning engines. They did start, but not at the power levels they were hoping for. "International Rescue, we've got power back," the Captain said. "But we're only producing half the thrust required. We don't have enough to pull out of this dive!""I'll level you out until you're able to restore full power," said Alan. He adjusted Thunderbird 3's jets to level both ships out. But nothing happened. Alan tried again. The jets were firing, but they weren't levelling out. "Come on!" Alan urged. "Why aren't you levelling out?"Brains reappeared on the holo-projector. "Alan! Your manoeuvring jets aren't p-powerful enough to level you b-both out!""Oh, no!" they then heard the Co-Pilot cry out in alarm.Alan looked up and gasped. They'd broken through the cloud lawyer and could see land below. Worse still it was a city that they were heading for. Even from high above, Alan knew which city it was. "Washington!" he cried. He tried the jets again! "Come on, baby!" he urged Thunderbird 3. "You can do this!" But try as he might, Thunderbird 3 and Air Force One still weren't pulling out of the dive. Alan suddenly came to a realisation. There was nothing he could do to save himself or the people aboard Air Force One. they were getting too close to the ground to pull up in time. What he said next sent horrified chills down the rest of his family and the International Rescue team. "I….I can't do it! I'm gonna crash!"Penelope grabbed Gordon's hand. Kayo's hand flew over her mouth. Virgil, Brains and John exchanged horrified looks and Grandma grabbed hold of Jeff's arm. Everyone had lost their voices and found that none of them could say anything to Alan.But then, they all heard another voice. A voice from someone who was not currently on Tracy Island. "Need a hand, little brother?"Alan looked up and saw a streak of silver race past Thunderbird 3 towards the front of Air Force One. It was Thunderbird 1. "SCOTT!" Alan cried, almost crying with joy.Scott moved Thunderbird 1 above Air Force One. He opened the underside hatch and fired a grapple cable onto the top of the cockpit. The clunk made the crew inside jump."What was that?!" exclaimed the Co-Pilot."Alan, Thunderbird 3 isn't powerful enough to level this ship out in the atmosphere," Scott said. "But with assistance from Thunderbird 1, we should be able to pull them out. You ready?""Oh, I'm ready, Thunderbird 1!" said Alan, his confidence rebooted. "Call it!"They could see Washington getting very close now. They could just make out the locations of the White House and the Capitol Building. People on the ground had started hearing the roar of the engines and those who weren't already outside had run out to see what was causing it. They were alarmed when they saw the two Thunderbirds and Air Force One diving towards them. Several panicked and started to run."NOW!" yelled Scott. He fired Thunderbird 1's thrusters and began to pull upwards. Alan did the same with Thunderbird 3's and soon Air Force One began to level out.The engines roared as they soared over the city at almost rooftop level. It was very close, but at the very last second they were able to pull the aerospaceplane out of the dive and up into the clear blue skies again and to safety.The terror that had filled everyone inside Air Force One soon faded away as they realised they were no longer crashing. Cheers erupted and President Young embraced his family. Better still, the pilots were able to get power back to the engines and Thunderbirds 1 and 3 were able to disengage from the craft and allow it to continue on its way."We can make it back to base," the Captain said gratefully. "Thank you, International Rescue! Merry Christmas!""Anytime, Air Force One," said Scott. "Thunderbird 3, let's go home!""F-A-B!" said Alan, with the grin the size of a Cheshire Cat on his face.Scott and Alan received a heroes welcome when they returned to Tracy Island."Well done, boys," Jeff said. "Mighty fine work there. Especially you, Alan."Alan blushed. "Hey, I had to do something, right, Dad?" he said with a shrug.Just then John piped up. "Hey, Alan. President Young's about to make a Christmas speech. You might want to turn the TV on." He appeared to have a slight twinkle in his eye.Confused, Alan turned the holographic TV on located from within the table. Everyone watched as the image of President Young appeared."My fellow Americans. We have reached that time of year again where we get together with our loved ones and have a fabulous time. But today hasn't been an ordinary Christmas for me or my family. In fact, I was very nearly unable to make this broadcast at all. It had been planned to spend out Christmas Day in orbit above the Earth aboard Air Force One. but things went wrong. Our engines malfunctioned and we began to fall to Earth." He paused for a moment before continuing. "The engines wouldn't respond. Our angle of descent was wrong and we were moments from burning up upon re-entering the atmosphere." He paused again. "Why am I still here? Why are my family still here? Well, it's simple. My family and I are alive today because of two words. And those two words are - International Rescue! They heard my pilot's mayday call and gave up their own Christmas to come to our aid. Using two of their magnificent Thunderbird machines, they were not only able to guide Air Force One through the atmosphere without burning up, but they were also able to pull us out of the dive that we were in. one that if we'd not pulled out of would not only have been the end of our lives, but would have taken thousands of innocent ones on the ground had we crashed into Washington. I would therefore like to dedicate my speech to the brave men and women of International Rescue and all the hard work they do for the people of this planet. Not just to the American people, but to all walks of life. Every country. Every continent. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done. If you're man, woman, child, black, white, Asian, Australian, Canadian, British, Norwegian, Dutch, German, French, Italian or so forth. It doesn't matter. I know that if you are ever in danger and there's no other hope of rescue. They will be the ones to come to your aid. To the young man who was flying Thunderbird 3 - I salute you. Thank you for our lives once again. Merry Christmas to everyone at International Rescue. Thank you."Nobody said a word. They were too busy trying to take in what the President had said. Especially Alan."Well…" said Gordon, breaking the silence. "That happened.""If the incident at Spoke City did damage our reputation in any way then that has certainly repaired it," agreed Virgil."Just watch Schultz's lawyer try and do anything now," grinned Kayo."I can't believe any jury or even a judge in the world could convict one who saved the life of the President of the United States," added Penelope.Grandma gave Alan a big cuddle. "That's my boy!" she said proudly. "You see? I told you things would get fixed."Jeff clapped his hands together. "Parker, could you get us all a drink? I think a toast is in order.""Right h'away, Mr Tracy, sir," said Parker and happily left to collect the drinks.Alan was overcome by all the praise. "Guys, please," he said. "I may have gotten Air Force One through the atmosphere, but the mission would have still ended in failure if it hadn't been for Scott." He turned to his biggest brother. "I don't know why you bothered after all the trouble I caused."Scott smiled. "You made a mistake, Alan. And so did I," he said. "Neither have us have slept well in the past few weeks. I guess it finally caught up with us. Come here." The eldest and youngest brothers embraced which brought a tear to both Grandma and Penelope's eyes."All the s-same," Brains chimed in. "I know n-now that I need to make s-some improvements to Thunderbird 3's manoeuvring j-jets so they can p-provide more thrust when w-working in the atmosphere.""Not today, Brains," John said, placing a hand on the engineer's shoulder. "Save it for a later date."Parker then returned with the drinks and handed one out to everyone. Once everyone had been given one, Jeff cleared his throat and raised his glass."To Alan - the hero of Christmas Day!""To Alan!" everyone repeated in unison.Alan looked around happily, happy tears filling his eyes. "Best Christmas ever," he said to himself.THE END