MIRACLES by TB's LMC RATED FRT

He thinks it's just stress. That maybe a vacation with Lady Penelope will help. But Jeff Tracy is about to discover that some things shouldn't be chalked up to the simplest explanation. Because some things are anything but simple.

The first rays of morning sun reached through the blinds like slender fingers caressing his face. Where they touched his skin, small points of warmth roused him from slumber. He turned his back to the offending light, more than content to pull the comforter over his head and shield himself from the dawn of a new day. As his mind drifted in that twilight zone between the awakened consciousness and the fuzziness of dreams, he felt the ache in his head which had become all too familiar of late. One more pass at the medicine stores in their hospital ward, and Brains would start getting suspicious.

There was only so much aspirin a man could take. Judging by the increasing quantities he'd been consuming, Jeff Tracy figured his blood must be thinner than water by now. But to ask for anything stronger would mean having to submit to a barrage of tests by their quirky resident genius and sometimes doctor. That was something Jeff had no intention of succumbing to. No, these headaches were nothing more than inconveniences brought on by stress.

After all, he had plenty of stress in his life, he thought, as he felt the sunlight begin to warm his back through his blankets. There were all the companies he owned, for one thing. By last count, between main lines and subsidiaries, they numbered nearly thirty. And then there was International Rescue. His brainchild, his dream, and something he poured his heart and soul into every day of the week. But it wasn't only administrative work. There were also his sons. Grown men living all together on an island that was large enough for that many bodies, but not necessarily large enough for that many jock egos.

Alan and Gordon had gone through a bout of fighting which had thankfully mended itself over the past couple of weeks. His two youngest sons were now on speaking terms again, and seemed to be headed back toward the strong relationship they'd always shared. John, relatively untouched by his siblings' problems with one another up on Thunderbird 5, had been the one steady star Jeff had been counting on. For although Alan and Gordon's relationship was on the mend, things weren't looking so well for Jeff's two eldest.

He didn't really know much more than what he'd been able to get out of Gordon a week prior. Apparently Scott had done something really stupid that had pissed Virgil off but good. What, Jeff didn't know. But whatever it had been, it had created a rift between two men Jeff never thought could be torn apart. In moments of mild insanity, his mind almost likened it to a married couple having one hell of a row. No matter the cause, the aftermath of this situation had created a tense atmosphere on the normally tranquil island. Jeff didn't like it, but there wasn't much he could do.

In the field, his sons operated seamlessly, even now. When they were on the job, they were professionals, hands down, no matter what was going on at home. But nowadays if Scott happened to enter a room that Virgil was already in, or vice versa, the air thickened with barely concealed animosity mostly emanating from, surprisingly enough, Virgil. This was surprising because usually Virgil was slow to anger. But his temper, when it came, could best be likened to a stick of dynamite. He'd blow up, and it'd be one hell of an explosion. But then it would fizzle and he'd be back to himself in a couple of days.

This time, however, it wasn't fizzling. If the looks he threw in his brother's direction were any indication, Scott was Enemy #1 to Virgil right now. There hadn't been any violence between them, not even a fistfight. But whereas normally you'd know for sure that where you found one, you would always find the other, now the two couldn't even pass in the hall without vague sounds of thunderbolts whizzing through the air.

Jeff groaned as he rolled over and noted that his headache had gotten worse. Yes, it had to be stress. Four rescues in two days, his sons not getting along and one of his companies' stock price falling drastically last week had done it. As he sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, it occurred to Jeff that what he needed was a vacation. He hadn't taken one since that first fiasco where he'd tried to relax at Penny's ranch in Bonga Bonga. That had been five years prior.

A vacation. Jeff swung his legs over the side of the bed. Yes. He would take one. And he would leave today.

"Oh, Jeff, that's a wonderful idea!"

"You sure I'm not putting you out, Penny?"

"Nonsense. My plans are perfectly malleable. I'll simply have Parker move the schedule up a bit. When do you think you can be there?"

"Well, I have to square things away with the boys, but I should be able to leave in a few hours."

"Very well. I shall make arrangements to meet you in Bonga Bonga tonight."

"Thanks, Penny. I think this'll help a lot."

"Help what, Jeff? Are you certain everything's all right?"

"Oh, sure, Penny, everything's fine. I just...need a break."

Penny nodded, a slight frown creasing her brow. "I'll see you later, then. Goodbye, Jeff."

"Bye, Penny."

Penelope turned slightly in her chair. "There's something afoot here, I'm certain of it. He doesn't look well. And for Jeff Tracy to admit he needs a break is unthinkable." She rose to her feet and pressed a button on the opposite wall of her bedroom to ring Parker. "Once I get him on my ranch, I'll see to it he doesn't leave until I've gotten to the bottom of things."

"You rang m'lady?"

"Yes, Parker. We're moving things up a bit. We're to meet Jeff at Bonga Bonga within eight hours' time. I shall expect us to be packed and ready to go in two hours."

"Very well, m'lady."

"Oh, and Parker?"

"Yes, m'lady?"

"Make certain you've enough to keep you busy during our stay. I shall require some one-on-one time with Jeff for a good portion of his visit."

"Very well, m'lady."

Penelope headed for the shower, lost in thought. Whatever was bothering her longtime friend, she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Well, I think it's a great idea, Dad. But, uh, we won't have another replay of the Atlantic incident this time. Will we?"

Jeff cast a stern look at his son. "No, Scott. No replay. This time I'm not even going to be calling in. I'll expect you boys to run this ship the way I do, and it had all better be in one piece when I get back."

"How long you going for, Dad?"

"Well, Virgil, I don't know. I guess I'll plan on a week and then see how things go from there."

The room fell silent. Virgil was standing clear over by the video portraits while Scott stood next to his father's desk. Gordon and Alan were on the settee, while Tin-Tin, Kyrano and Jeff's mother, Ruth, stood scattered throughout the Lounge.

"Right, well, I think everything's in order for you, Scott. I'm going to pack my things and be leaving within the hour."

"Okay, Father."

Everyone just hung around in rather stunned silence as Jeff rose from his desk chair and crossed to the hall. They all knew it wasn't like Jeff Tracy to voluntarily take a vacation. As he was leaving, Kyrano caught up to him. "If you would not mind, I wish to speak with you before you go."

"Fine, Kyrano, you can help me pack."

"Yes, Mr. Tracy."

"I don't get it," Alan mused as he came to his feet. "Since when does Dad leave for a vacation without having to be pried from his desk with a crowbar?"

"Maybe he just needs a break from us," Virgil replied none-too-kindly as he headed out onto the patio.

Gordon noticed Scott's eyes boring holes into the back of Virgil's head, and felt the tension rise even more. "Well, he deserves it. We have kind of been a pain-in-the-ass to him lately."

"Us?" Alan said in mock innocence.

Scott's eyes snapped to Gordon's face, then looked down. "Yeah, I guess we have."

Alan followed Tin-Tin and Ruth into the kitchen as Gordon approached his eldest brother. "I don't know exactly what happened between you two," he said, indicating Virgil out on the balcony with a nod of his head, "but whatever it is, you'd better fix it. I think it's really getting to Dad."

Scott's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again, but he couldn't think of anything to say. So he closed his mouth and merely nodded as he took a seat behind his father's desk. Gordon shrugged and disappeared into the hall. Scott rubbed a hand across his chin and sighed. "I want to fix it," he said quietly. "I just don't know if he'll let me."

Kyrano said nothing as he helped his friend pack for the trip. But he kept his eyes firmly upon him, and it made Jeff uneasy. Finally, as he was rummaging around in his sock drawer for some matching pairs, he asked, "What's on your mind, Kyrano?"

"You are not feeling well."

"I'm fine."

"No. You are not."

Jeff turned to face him. He never could hide too much from Kyrano, no matter how hard he tried. Sometimes, that was a blessing. But right now, Jeff really didn't want to talk about it. After all, it was nothing...tension headaches. That was all. "I'm fine," he repeated.

"Perhaps the company of Lady Penelope will help to ease your burden."

"Perhaps."

Kyrano quietly finished helping him pack. Before he left the room, he walked over to Jeff and stood right in front of him, forcing the taller man to look into his eyes. "Perhaps you should speak to Brains about your headaches before you go."

Startled, it took a moment for Jeff to find his voice. "How did you...never mind. Just make sure my sons don't kill each other while I'm gone."

"Do not worry about them. Worry about you."

With that, Kyrano was gone. Jeff shook his head. After so many years with Kyrano, he should be used to him knowing things he couldn't possibly know, but it never ceased to amaze him when his Malaysian friend came out with unspoken truths that were always right on target.

"Worry about me," he repeated as he zipped his bag closed. "Now why would he say a thing like that?"

Four hours and twelve aspirins later, Jeff had nearly arrived at his destination. "This is Tracy One to Bonga Bonga. Come in, Bonga Bonga."

"Bonga Bonga here, Mr. Tracy. Runway h'is cleared for your h'arrival."

"Thank you, Parker. I'll be landing in seven minutes. Tracy One out."

As he descended through the clouds, the Australian countryside came into view. It was beautiful. Miles and miles of grass as far as the eye could see, dotted by cows and sheep and trees and bushes. Nearly untouched by man, it was one of the last great tributes to Nature that humans had seen fit to leave intact. He could see Bonga Bonga's runway in the distance, and moved to lower his landing gear.

That was when a jolt of pain shot through his head like a knife. He cried out, ripping the headset from his ear. For a few seconds, his hands were completely off the steering yoke, and the nose of the jet began to tilt down. But as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone, and Jeff regained his senses in time to level off and complete a nearly perfect landing.

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, looking gorgeous even in the pair of jeans she was wearing, was waiting on the tarmac. As soon as the cockpit was open, she began scolding him. "Jeff Tracy, what on earth did you think you were doing? I thought you were going bottoms up!"

Jeff waved her concern away and shook his head. The sharp pain had subsided, but the actual headache was now worse. "I just need a rest, Penny, please."

Frowning, Penelope left Parker to bring the bags as she led Jeff up to the ranch's main house. "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Penny, I just have a headache, that's all. A good night's sleep ought to get rid of it."

"Very well, the guest room is made up for you. I shall see to it you're not disturbed for the rest of the evening."

A nice, hot shower breathed some life back into Jeff's weary bones. He felt he'd been quite rude in arriving at Penny's ranch only to disappear into his room with barely a handful of words to his gracious hostess. As such, he decided to find her and spend a little time with her before retiring for the night.

It took him a while, but eventually he came upon her swimming in the heated pool out in back of the house. He just stood back and watched her long, graceful strokes propel her through the water, head turning this way and that to take a breath as she swam the length of the pool and back again. In the darkness of night, the light shining from beneath the water made her seem almost ethereal as she glided effortlessly along.

So lost did he become in his thoughts that he didn't hear her call his name. It wasn't until she stepped out of the pool, put on her robe and walked over to stand in front of him that he even remembered she was there.

"Jeff?"

"Oh, sorry, Penny."

"Where were you just now?"

"What? Oh, I don't know."

"Shall I have Parker bring you a cup of coffee?"

"No, thanks. Just makes the headaches worse."

"Headaches? What kinds of headaches, Jeff? You mentioned having one earlier when you arrived."

"It's nothing. They come and go. Probably related to tension."

Though she wasn't buying it, Penny just nodded. "Come sit with me?"

"Sure."

The two headed for the posh chaise lounges, with Jeff settling in and quickly closing his eyes.

"How are things on the island?"

"The same, I suppose. How are things in England?"

"The same, I suppose."

"Where's Parker gotten to? Usually he's hovering like a mad hen."

Penelope laughed. "I asked him to stay out of our way."

Jeff opened his eyes and quirked a brow at her. "Why's that?"

"I thought perhaps it might be best."

Jeff half-shrugged and closed his eyes again. "If I fall asleep on you, just wake me."

She nodded and leaned back in the chair. Jeff sure wasn't acting like himself. She didn't like it, not one bit. Not only was he barely speaking, but his voice sounded strained and, she'd noted earlier, he looked tired, as though he hadn't been sleeping well. Regardless of what he'd said, if he fell asleep out there, she had no intention of waking him. A few minutes later, his soft snores told her he'd done just that. She quietly fetched a blanket from the house and covered him with it, then headed for bed. Tomorrow she would begin investigating his odd behavior. And she'd start with his sons.

Several hours later, Jeff slowly opened his eyes. For a moment he was disoriented, having no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. He finally remembered he was in Bonga Bonga, and realized he must've fallen asleep out there by the pool. Penny obviously hadn't wakened him, opting instead to give him a blanket and leave him be. He rose to his feet, folded the blanket and carried it inside to his room. Once there, he washed his face and ran his fingers through his hair, taking stock of himself in the mirror as he did so.

For the first time in his life, what he saw staring back at him wasn't the man he'd grown accustomed to. Taken aback by his own appearance, Jeff thought he looked old. He toweled his face dry and grimaced as another headache hit him full force. Popping four aspirins, he ran the faucet and cupped water in his hands from it to his mouth to wash them down. Turning the light off, he padded over to the bed, pulled the covers back, and lay down. All he wanted was for the pain to go away. Within minutes, he had drifted into a restless sleep.

"Hello John, how are you?"

"I'm good. This is a pleasant surprise. What's up?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

"How do you mean?"

"Your father arrived last night. John, he's not himself. He barely spoke to me, and when he did, his answers were short. In addition, he looks rather worn, as though he hasn't been sleeping well."

"I kind of noticed that too over the past week or so."

"Have you any idea what's causing this?"

"No, Penny, not really."

Penny tapped her finger on the desk. "He mentioned he's been having headaches. When I pressed him about it, he said they were probably related to tension. Do you know from whence this tension might be coming?"

John shrugged and looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I guess the land lovers have been at each other's throats lately. Maybe that's it?"

"At each other's throats? In what way?"

John shrugged again. "I don't know all the details, but from what I understand, Gordo and Al weren't on speaking terms for a while, and now it's Scott and Virg."

"Scott and Virgil not on speaking terms? You must be joking."

"I know, I never thought I'd see the day. But last night, Alan told me they still aren't talking."

"Hm. I see this requires more investigation."

"Watch it, Penny. Al says Virg's temper is over the top these days."

"Now don't you worry about that. I'll speak with you soon, John. Thank you."

"No problem. Thunderbird 5 out."

"It looks like my next target should be Virgil Tracy," Penny said as she tapped open a line to Tracy Island. She wasn't surprised when Scott answered the call. "Hello, Scott, how are you?"

"Hi, Penelope. I'm good. How are things in Australia?"

"Australia is fine, but since I have you here, I'd like to ask you about your father."

"What about him? Is he okay?"

"No, he's not. He's having headaches and he's not himself. I understand there's been some tension at home recently?"

Scott looked away. Having to answer to Lady Penelope felt strangely like having to answer to your mother when you'd been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. "I guess so."

"Scott, what's been happening? I don't mean to pry, but it's important to your father's well-being."

"We've all been getting on each others' nerves."

"I can imagine. Living so closely and working together so much can't always be easy. How are...you and Virgil getting along?"

A thunder cloud passed over Scott's face and settled in. His reply was brusque. "We're not."

"What's happened? You two have always been inseparable."

"Not anymore, Penny. I'm sorry, I have to go. I have things to do."

Penny nodded. She knew she'd be getting no more from Jeff's oldest son right now. "Very well. I shall speak with you soon. Goodbye, Scott."

"Bye, Penny," he replied as he cut transmission.

Frowning, Penelope was about to open another line in an attempt to locate Virgil when a gruff voice startled her.

"Morning, Penny."

She whirled around to find Jeff standing before her, looking none the better after a full night's sleep. Or perhaps he hadn't had a full night's sleep, and that was the problem. She rose gracefully to her feet, approached him, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, Jeff. Are you up for some breakfast?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

"Let's head for the kitchen. Parker's been hard at work this morning. Poor thing, I should've brought Lil with us. At least it would've kept him occupied." She was more than pleased when Jeff chuckled.

Breakfast was amiable. Jeff was able to keep up the small talk, and seemed almost to be himself. But he wasn't quite, and Penny honed in on the fact that from time to time a look of pain would wash across his face. He must still be having his headaches, she reasoned.

"Are you up for a walk around the ranch? I'd like to show you the new lambs we've recently birthed."

"Okay, that sounds good. Just let me get my walking shoes on."

"Very well. I shall meet you back here shortly."

Jeff nodded and left for his room while Penny helped Parker clear the dishes. After a few moments in thought, she finally spoke. "We shall be going for a walk around the ranch and are not to be disturbed."

"Right. See you la'er, m'lady."

Penny headed for her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a pink blouse and hiking boots. Half an hour later she reentered the kitchen to find Jeff seated at the small table with his head down. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Jeff, are you certain you're up for this?"

Raising his head, he forced a smile and nodded. "Sure thing, Penny. I'd like to see what you've done with this place since last time I was here. Let's go."

She studied him for a moment, smiling as she reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "All right, then. Off we go."

"Can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

"You know what, Virg."

"No, Scott. No more talking. You've done quite enough of that."

"Virg, please. We have to fix this. If not for our sake, then for Dad's?"

That got Virgil's attention. "Dad's? What do you mean?"

"Penny called a little while ago. She's worried about him."

"Why?"

"Haven't you noticed he hasn't looked like himself in a while?"

"Guess so. What's that got to do with us?"

"Gordo thinks we're stressing him out. And Penny said he's having headaches."

"I'm not the one who..." Virgil's voice trailed off as his anger rose. "Goddamn you, Scott, don't you dare try to use Dad as an excuse for me to forgive you."

"I'm not using him for anything, Virg! I apologized, what more do you want?"

"Your apology isn't enough anymore. For years you've done whatever you damn well pleased without consequence. I'm sick and tired of it, Scott. I'm sick and tired of you!"

As Virgil stormed out of the Recreation Room, Scott shook his head. Would Virgil ever forgive him for what he had done? It had been an accident, but that didn't seem to matter to Virgil. And what about their father? If his sons' behavior was indeed at the root of his stress, and Scott couldn't make things right between him and Virgil, how would that affect their dad? How would it affect all of them?

"I have to fix this," he said, toying with a pool cue. "I just have to!" He took a shot and sunk the 8 ball into a side pocket. "Question is, how?"

Penny and Jeff had been enjoying the sights and sounds of her ranch for over an hour. They'd watched as the new little lambs had struggled to their feet, sharing laughter and stories, and almost making Penelope forget there was anything at all the matter with her friend. They'd just crossed to the far side of the pasture when a sudden loud bleating caught their attention. It was coming from over the rise to their left.

"What's that about?"

"I'm not certain."

The sound of hooves hitting the ground combined with frantic bleating came nearer and nearer until at last a line of sheep appeared at the top of the rise and thundered toward them.

"Oh, my," Penny breathed.

"It's a stampede!" Jeff exclaimed, grabbing hold of Penny's hand. "Come on!"

They ran for the fence as hundreds of sheep pounded in their direction. Jeff lifted Penny off the ground with the intention of hoisting her over the fence, but a stab of pain pierced his skull and he cried out, dropping her to the ground.

"Jeff!" Nearer and nearer came the sheep as Jeff fell to his knees, head between his hands. He groaned in agony as Penny scrambled to her feet. "Jeff! Quickly, we must get out of here!"

But Jeff didn't even hear her. The sheep were almost upon them. "Jeff! Jeff, come on!" she cried, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet. But it was too late. Penny gave a very unladylike scream and covered her face with her hands.

That scream finally jolted Jeff out of his misery enough to realize that within seconds, he and Penny would be trampled. A surge of adrenaline rushed through his body. The only thing he could think of was going up. It was the only way to escape the herd. He squeezed his eyes closed and just wished that they could go up. He grabbed one of Penny's hands. Go up. Go up go up go up.

Bracing himself for impact, it took a handful of seconds for Jeff to realize there wouldn't be one. He could hear the sheep racing past and wondered where the hell they were and how they'd escaped. When he opened his eyes, it all became clear.

Jeff and Penelope were hovering six feet above the ground.

"Holy--!!" Jeff exclaimed as the last of the herd passed beneath them. With that, Jeff and Penny dropped to the ground, oofing and grunting as they hit the grass. Jeff shook his head in confusion.

Very much in shock, Penny crawled over to him and just clung to his arm, mindful of the bruise she would surely have on her rump when all was said and done. For long moments, neither of them spoke. Finally, Penny whispered, "How did you do that?"

"Me? I didn't do anything."

"Well, I certainly didn't cause us to fly."

"Fly?"

"You closed your eyes and kept repeating the words, 'go up'. Then all of a sudden there we were, floating above the ground just as the sheep passed beneath us."

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. His head was absolutely killing him. The pounding wouldn't go away. The last thing he saw was Penny's large, blue eyes staring into his own.

"Jeff?"

He swooned, caught himself with one hand on the fence post, and closed his eyes.

"Jeff?" she repeated, her voice rising in pitch.

What...Penny...help...help me..." he whispered.

With that, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward right onto her chest.

"Jeff! Gods, Jeff!" Raising her watch to her face, she cried out, "Parker! Get FAB One out here immediately!" She began stroking her unconscious companion's hair, rocking back and forth as she cradled him in her arms. "Jeff, everything will be all right. Don't worry. I'll take care of you." She closed her eyes as one thought repeated over and over in her mind. Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay.

"Are you sure I shouldn't fly out there?"

"He seems to be fine, Mrs. Tracy. The doctors have been doing some tests. I shall obtain more information once they've finished. I just thought you should know."

"Thank you, Penelope. You let me know as soon as you hear anything."

"I will. Goodbye, Mrs. Tracy."

Ruth nodded and turned away from the vidphone as Penny ended the call. The young woman had told her only that Jeff had lost consciousness during a walk around her ranch. She'd been aware that her son had been having headaches, and prayed it was nothing more than exhaustion or stress.

But it wasn't related to stress at all. Nor to exhaustion. By the time the doctors finished their tests, Jeff regained consciousness and asked for Penelope. One of the nurses led her into his room, where she found him propped up by pillows in a sitting position on the hospital bed. She rushed to his side and grabbed his hands in hers, holding them tightly.

"How do you feel?"

"Not too bad, I guess. Penny, what happened out there?"

"You don't remember?"

Jeff frowned as he shook his head. "No. Last thing I remember was the sheep heading straight for us."

"You made us fly, Jeff. You made us fly."

At that moment, one of the doctors entered the room. He stuck out his hand and shook Jeff's first, then Penny's. "Hello, I'm Dr. Baines. I've been with the team that's been performing tests on you, since your arrival here, Mr. Tracy."

"What's the news?"

Dr. Baines cast a sidelong glance at Penelope, indicating that perhaps it would be better if he and Jeff were left alone. She looked down at Jeff, who gripped her hands firmly.

"Whatever it is, she stays."

Baines nodded and went to a video monitor on the wall to Jeff's right. He flicked it on, keyed in a series of commands, and waited as the image of a brain popped up. When he turned back toward them, his face was grim.

"Mr. Tracy, I have both good news and bad news."

"Bad news first."

"The bad news is that our scans have revealed a small growth just inside your temporal lobe," Baines said as he pointed to a darkened portion of the image of Jeff's brain.

"What kind of growth?" Penny breathed.

"A tumor. You have a brain tumor, Mr. Tracy."

His face unreadable, Jeff asked, "What's the good news?"

"Well, the good news is that the tumor doesn't look like it's connected to any particular part of the brain. We should be able to get in there and excise it completely."

Penny looked down at Jeff, who was staring out the window. "Doctor, if you don't mind, we need a moment."

"No problem. I'm having two specialists flown in from New Zealand. They should be here by tomorrow morning. Until then, I'm keeping you here for observation, Mr. Tracy. I'll return in about an hour to speak with you again."

Jeff didn't respond. Penelope thanked the doctor and walked him to the door. When she turned to face her companion, she couldn't help the tears that trickled down her face. He looked so defeated. So old as he leaned back into the pillows. Wiping her tears away, Penelope pulled a chair over and sat down next to him, grasping his larger hands with hers.

"Look at me, Jeff."

He did so, reluctantly. "Don't cry," he said when he saw the tear tracks on her face. "You heard him. They can remove it."

"Don't you act all macho with me, Jeff Tracy."

"Well, how do you want me to act?" he nearly bellowed, ripping his hands away from hers and rising to his feet. "I've just been told I have a brain tumor!" He turned and leaned his hands on the window sill, his head on the pane of glass separating him from the normality of life outside these walls. Normality he no longer had. "You know as well as I do that even with today's technology, brain surgery is dangerous at best."

"Do you want me to call your family?" she asked, walking over to stand next to him.

"No!" He turned and looked at her face. The sorrow there was almost more than he could bear. "But I do want Brains here."

She nodded and reached one hand up to place it on his chest. "What shall I tell the rest of them?"

"Only that they're still doing tests. If you tell them what's really going on, they'll all come. I can't...I don't...I want to deal with this on my own."

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked, looking away.

He reached up and grabbed her hand, still flat upon his chest. "No."

Penny stifled further tears as she nodded and tried to smile. "Very well. I'll have Parker take me back to Bonga Bonga to pack your things. I'll speak to Brains from there and return within two hours' time."

"Thanks, Penny," he said, squeezing her hand and turning back to look out the window.

Full of anguish, Penelope held herself together until at last she was seated in the back of FAB One. It was only then that her tears began in earnest.

"As you can see, Mr. Tracy, from what our advanced MRI and CT scans show us, the tumor doesn't appear to be connected to any portion of your brain other than by thin mucous membranes. It seems to be an independent growth."

"What could've caused it?"

"Any number of things. Do you work around any sort of chemicals or radiation?"

Jeff shook his head. Of course there were any number of those types of triggers on the base of International Rescue, but Brains kept everyone safe with specially designed containers, walls and shields. Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t exactly tell Baines that he lived on International Rescue’s secret base.

"There's so much we still don't know about cancer, Mr. Tracy, even in the year 2033. We may never know how this developed."

"How quickly will you know if it's benign?"

"Our best way of determining that is to get in there, remove it and do a biopsy."

"What are my odds, Dr. Baines?"

The doctor turned away from the video monitor and looked his patient right in the eye. "We're probably looking at an 85% success rate."

"What accounts for the other 15%?"

"Finding something other than we expect once we get in there. The specialists will be able to tell us more tomorrow. Because of where the tumor is situated, there is a distinct possibility, slim though it may be, that associative functions such as memories and emotions might be affected. In addition, your fight-or-flight, your instinctive behaviors, could be altered."

"What about death?"

"In cases such as these, only 2% of patients die during or after surgery."

Jeff nodded as he took in the information. "You said the closest areas are memories, emotions, and instincts." Baines nodded. "What about...other abilities?"

The doctor seated himself in the chair next to Jeff's bed. "What other abilities?"

"Penny and I had a strange experience right before I blacked out."

"Go on."

"Part of the herd of sheep began to stampede. They were almost on us when I experienced a sharp stab of pain in my head. I wanted to help Penny over the wall, but the pain...I couldn't move. I thought we were dead for sure. Then...well..."

"What? Did you lose consciousness?"

"Not right away, no. I don't really remember what happened. We fell. We were in the air, and we fell. And Penny said...she said we'd flown."

Baines' eyebrows shot up. "That you'd flown? You mean the two of you levitated?"

"I don't know. I suppose it sounds pretty crazy."

"No. In fact, Mr. Tracy, it doesn't sound crazy at all. I'm going to give a friend of mine a call."

"What kind of friend?"

"Dr. Treager, a psychologist."

"You do think I'm crazy."

"Not at all. Dr. Treager studies the effects of brain disorders as related to supernatural ability."

Jeff's eyes widened. "Penny said I made us fly."

"She may very well have been right."

"L-Lady Penelope! W-What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Brains, I must look a fright."

"N-Not at all. Has something, uh, happened?"

"Yes. Now Brains, you must listen to me very carefully. Jeff has sworn both you and me to secrecy. What I tell you cannot be told to his family."

Brains nodded and listened as Penny explained what Dr. Baines had told them. By the time she was finished, she had managed to compose herself and sat silently awaiting Brains' response.

"I-I'll be there in a-a few hours. W-What do I tell the others?"

"Tell them Jeff just wants you there as his personal physician, that the doctors are still doing tests and that we'll call as soon as we know anything more."

Brains nodded.

"Promise you won't breathe a word."

"I-I promise. Brains out."

Penny sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. A brain tumor. Jeff Tracy? It couldn't be. This all had to be a bad dream. But she knew it wasn't. As much as it sickened her, the only thing she could think of was what life would be like without him.

"They always say we grieve not for the person who died, but for those of us who are left behind to go on without them," she said softly. "Jefferson Grant Tracy, don't you dare leave me now."

"Your friend hasn't returned yet."

"No. I expect she'll be back soon. Dr. Baines, my personal physician should be arriving later this afternoon. I want him in attendance at all discussions and present whenever you and the specialists talk about this."

"I understand. What's his specialty?"

"Everything. He's a genius."

"I see," Baines replied, nodding slowly. "Dr. Treager should be here in an hour or so. Do you have any questions before I bring him by?"

"You said this tumor might affect my memories, emotions and my instincts. How so?"

"It depends largely on what specific areas of your brain the growth impacts. For example, you could experience short-term memory loss, be unable to recall something that happened five minutes ago. Or, you could suffer historical amnesia, not be able to remember your childhood, or your twenties and thirties. As for your instincts, if that portion of your brain is affected, it could dull them. Whereas usually you'd want to run if you see someone coming to attack you, when the activity in this part of your brain is impeded, it may not even occur to you that you're in danger."

"And the emotions?"

"An extremely varied and unpredictable range of symptoms where those are concerned. We've had patients exhibit everything from extreme rage to uncontrollable weeping, and every emotion in between, always to the nth degree. Dr. Treager had a case not too long ago where there was significant memory loss in his patient, but only those memories which dealt with a man with whom she was deeply emotionally involved."

"So it was a combination of more than one symptom."

"Yes. Unfortunately, I can't predict what will or won't happen to your brain before we get that tumor out. But the quicker we move the better."

Jeff nodded and managed a small smile. "Thank you, doctor."

"Any time. I'll bring Dr. Treager along as soon as I've briefed him on your case." With that, Dr. Baines was gone, leaving Jeff alone with his thoughts.

"Parker, I shall see to Jeff's bag. I want you to return to Bonga Bonga immediately. As soon as Brains arrives, you are to bring him here at once."

"Yes, m'lady. H'anythin' h'else?"

"No, Parker that will be all."

Parker nodded as he handed Jeff's bag over to Penelope. "Will Mr. Tracy be h'alright, m'lady?"

"Of course he will, Parker!" she snapped. "And don't you dare think anything else!"

Abashed, Parker mumbled an apology and retreated into FAB One. "I've hit a nerve wit' that one," he said to himself as he drove away.

Penelope was furious, though it wasn't necessarily directed at Parker. Just hearing someone suggest that Jeff might not be all right brought forth her own feelings on the matter, including how devastated she realized she'd be if he weren't. And that lack of faith in a man she'd revered since the day she'd met him made Penny very angry at herself. As she made her way through the hospital lobby and to the nearest set of lifts, she made both herself and Jeff a silent promise.

You will be all right, Jeff. And I shall not act any differently than if I knew for certain it was true.

With steely resolve, she exited the lift and made her way to Jeff's room. But that resolve melted quickly when she opened the door to find him lying in bed asleep. He looked so fragile, so unlike the steady rock he'd come to be in her life. Quietly placing his bag in the room's closet, she stole up to the bed and stood there watching the rise and fall of his chest, watching that stray lock of hair that never seemed to stay in place slide down onto his forehead. Watching the peaceful, yet pained look upon his face as he no doubt dreamt of his illness.

Reaching out, she moved the lock of salt-and-pepper hair, and on impulse, leaned in to touch her lips to his. "You will be all right, Jeff," she whispered. "You will."

As she left the room in search of Dr. Baines, Penelope didn't see Jeff open his eyes and turn his head to watch her leave. His hand moved to his mouth, fingertips resting on his lips, which still tingled from the kiss. "Penny?"

Brains had been successful in convincing Jeff's family that he was simply traveling to Australia because he knew Jeff's medical history and wanted to be present for any diagnosis or treatment that might be administered. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when at last he was airborne. It was only then that he allowed his face to show the worry he truly felt. A brain tumor? Jeff Tracy? It couldn't be.

By the time Bonga Bonga was in sight, Brains convinced himself that the doctors had made a terrible mistake. A mistake that Brains would rectify as soon as he reached the hospital.

"Mr. Tracy, I'd like you to meet Dr. James Treager."

Jeff, seated on the edge of his bed, reached out and shook the psychologist's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Doctor."

"Likewise. If you don't mind, Mr. Tracy, I'd like for us to get down to business."

"Sure."

"Now, Dr. Baines tells me you had an experience prior to the blackout which brought you here this morning."

"Yes. But I don't remember much about it. Penny?" As she stepped forward to stand next to the bed, Jeff introduced her. "This is Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. She was with me when I blacked out."

"Hello, your ladyship," Treager replied, taking her hand in his. Baines did the same with her other hand, nodding in reverence. Creighton-Ward was a name not unknown within the boundaries of Australia, and the two doctors were more than a little surprised at the apparent connection between her and Jeff Tracy.

"Well, gentlemen, I'm not certain I recall every little detail, you know how sketchy these things become." Off their nods, she continued. "However, I distinctly remember that Jeff and I were about to be trampled by one of my herds of sheep who'd begun to stampede. We reached the fence, and Jeff lifted me, to hoist me over. But then he cried out as though in great pain, and we fell to the ground."

Jeff listened intently. This was the first time he'd heard the entire story.

"I tried to get him on his feet, but he seemed a million miles away. He was holding his head in agony. When I looked up, the sheep were so close I could feel the ground vibrating beneath my feet." She blushed as she added, "I'm afraid I then did a most unladylike thing, and screamed."

Jeff half-smiled. He knew how embarrassed she must be to have to admit that.

"Apparently, though, that's what brought him out of it. Before I knew what was happening, Jeff grabbed hold of my hand and began repeating, 'Go up. Go up. Go up.' The next thing I know, we're rising from the ground, straight into the air. As though we were floating on an invisible cloud."

The doctors exchanged glances as Jeff reached out to touch Penelope's leg. She turned and smiled at him. "It was amazing. We were about three meters high when the sheep began rushing by beneath us. Jeff's eyes were closed, and he was still repeating 'Go up' over and over again, almost like a chant. It was then that I realized he was the one making us fly. We hovered over the ground for countless moments, and just as the last of the sheep ran beneath us, Jeff opened his eyes and cried out. It was shortly thereafter that we fell to the ground."

"And he was conscious the entire time?" Treager asked with barely concealed excitement.

"I can't be certain. He didn't seem to be awake when we were floating, not until he opened his eyes. After we fell, he did speak to me, but then he became dizzy and that's when he lost consciousness. You must think my story rather bizarre."

"Not at all, Lady Penelope, not at all. I've had only one case like this before, where the patient exhibited abilities that were, to put it simply, impossible."

"Dr. Baines mentioned something about supernatural ability," Jeff said. "If I really am the one who made us...float...what's causing this?"

"There is very little known on the subject, to be sure. But my research indicates that there is a small section of the brain called the brathalamus, nestled deep within, just next to the temporal lobe. It seems that whenever this region of the brain experiences any sort of stimulation, the patient suddenly has the ability to do things such as levitate or move objects with his mind. I even had a patient once who could read the minds of others. Of course, his tumor was malignant, and spread throughout his brain. He lived for only three days after he first exhibited that ability."

"One moment, Doctor," Penelope interjected, a frown creasing her forehead. "You said when that region of the brain experiences any sort of stimulation is when these abilities come forth."

"That is correct."

"But if the tumor isn't directly connected to any part of Jeff's brain, how on earth could it be stimulating anything?"

The doctors exchanged a look. It was Dr. Baines who spoke. "That's a bit of bad news we were about to share with you, Lady Penelope. There's a special scanner the two neurosurgeons from New Zealand are bringing with them tomorrow, a scanner which should be able to confirm or deny our suspicions."

"Which are?"

"Which are, Mr. Tracy, that our first assumption may have been incorrect. If, as Lady Penelope's story suggests, you did indeed levitate above the ground, it can only mean that somehow electricity is being shared between the tumor and the brathalamus."

"You see," Dr. Treager continued, "the brathalamus is encased in a protective membrane, one which neural transmitters and even blood vessels cannot penetrate. For years we thought that part of the brain was simply extraneous matter, for all intents and purposes, a dead organ. The only time we have ever measured activity within the brathalamus was when a growth of cells, in this case always a malignant tumor, had broken through that membrane, allowing blood vessels to connect to it, to bring it alive, as it were."

"You must remember that in your case this is all pure speculation," Dr. Baines was quick to add.

Penny felt, more than saw, the change in Jeff's demeanor. He seemed to deflate. As soon as she noticed, she smiled at the doctors and said, "If you don't mind, I think Mr. Tracy could use some rest now."

"Of course. We'll leave you until the specialists arrive tomorrow. Oh, and when your personal physician arrives, Mr. Tracy, have one of the nurses bring him by my office."

Jeff just nodded as the two men headed for the door.

"Oh, Lady Penelope?"

"Yes, Dr. Treager?"

"Considering that he might begin experiencing some changes mentally or emotionally, I think it would be a good idea if he began keeping a journal." With that, he handed her a notebook and pen. "It might be very useful should his condition begin to...deteriorate."

Penny nodded and took the offered items. "Thank you, Doctor. Good evening."

"Good evening, ma'am."

Setting the items on the nearby desk, Penny turned and watched as a variety of emotions seemed to play across Jeff's face. "Penny," he said softly. "What if they can't get it out?"

"Nonsense, Jeff. I won't hear talk like that," she replied as she crossed the room and seated herself next to him on the bed. "As Dr. Baines said, it's all purely speculation at this point. I'm certain when Brains arrives, he'll clear things up for you."

"You're probably right," he said, fighting to stifle a yawn.

"I was right, you do need to rest. Here, why don't you just lie down? I'll wake you when Brains arrives."

Jeff nodded and allowed her to tuck him under the covers. As she turned to head for the bathroom, his voice stopped her. "Do you think it was really me that made us levitate?"

She turned back to face him. "Jeff, if any man in the world could make a lady fly, it would be you."

Jeff chuckled and shook his head as she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. He wasn't one to give up easily, and he hadn't quite yet. But this was so much information to handle, and so many thoughts jumbled together in his mind that between the severity of the situation itself and the drugs he'd been given to keep his headaches at bay, he just couldn't seem to find hope within his heart.

When Brains arrived barely an hour later, Jeff was sound asleep. Rather than wake him, Brains and Penny both accompanied a nurse to Dr. Baines' office, where they found both him and Dr. Treager in deep discussion. The doctors brought Brains, who'd been introduced to them as Dr. Christopher Braman, up to speed on Jeff's condition. When the terms they used became too technical, Penny decided to leave and check up on Jeff. She asked Parker to see about getting them something to eat before continuing on to his room.

As she rode the lift up to the seventh floor, her mind raced. She could tell before that Jeff was rapidly losing faith in a positive outcome, and wondered what she could do to either bolster that faith, or to take his mind off it long enough for them to make it to the next day, when the neurosurgeons arrived and they would learn more. She smiled secretly to herself as one thought occurred to her. If there was anything Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward knew how to do, it was distract a man.

The doctor said I should start keeping a journal just in case things don't go well. So here I am, without a thought as to what exactly I'm going to write. I suppose my sons will read this after I'm dead and buried, as will Penny and Mother. So if any of you are reading this now, it means I lost my battle with this new enemy of mine. An enemy I find myself unprepared to face. For all my wealth and possessions, for all the technology at my fingertips, somehow I cannot see a light at the end of this long and dark tunnel.

So what do I write about? What is it I think you would want to know after I'm gone? I guess you might have unanswered questions. So what would you ask me? What is it you won't ask me during life that I can talk to you about after death? Family. That's what's important to me. My family and everything we have built together.

If you stop and try to think about it all at once, well, it's nearly impossible. I know if I try wrapping my brain around everything, it tends to become...shall we say...overwhelming.

That we have come so far together is a testament to the family. That we have accomplished so much is a testament to our strength and will. And that we continue to fight in the face of sometimes monumental odds is a testament to International Rescue's motto: Never give up, at any cost.

At any cost. You know, when I was first mulling that idea around with the boys, it didn't really sink in what that actually meant. At any cost. You know what it means, don't you? We will do everything possible to save the lives of others, even if it means losing our own.

It's the philosophy of International Rescue because it's the philosophy of the Tracy family. Every single person in the core of this organization fully believes and accepts that motto. They live by it. And if necessary, they'll die by it.

It's not that anyone has a death wish. Far from it. Those who live on Tracy Island are full of life, engaging in more activities than most, be it extracurricular or in the line of duty. But we believe in something, something most of the world has ignored: the fundamental right of every human being to have an equal chance at life.

There are countries where there simply isn't enough money to spare for rescue equipment or personnel. Then there are other countries where the beaurocrats keep their coffers for themselves, ignoring the plight of their people. What do they care if a thousand innocents die in a mudslide? The only time they care is when it's their ass on the line.

I have a hard time sending my sons out to risk their lives for men like those. But in the end I always remember that every life is sacred, no matter whose it is. I recall one rescue that was the result of an earthquake in Guatemala. The president was a dictatorial leader by the name of David Estuardo Pierra Caceres...I will never forget his name as long as I live.

He was one of these men who cared little for his people, or his country at all, for that matter. All he cared about was gaining riches, and to hell with whomever paid the price. Well, when that big earthquake hit Central America in '28, you can bet he was crying out for help along with the rest of his fellow countrymen.

Ultimately the work we did out there in the field saved thousands of lives, President Caceres' included. He was so affected by what we had done that he turned over a new leaf. Literally, overnight he became a new man. I recall Gordon commenting, "Who needs the Ghost of Christmas Past when you've got International Rescue?"

And yet, for all the bravery my sons display in the field, when they're home, they're just 'the boys'. No pretense, no airs. Like I said, it's sometimes hard to wrap your mind around everything, but what I find works best is if you take it one piece at a time. The business, for example, Tracy Corporation. Even I can't make decisions based on the entire umbrella of the corporation. I have to go company-by-company for everything, and usually drill down even further than that. There's no way you can take something that large in one bite.

Everything is so complex, and yet so easy. I know that sounds contradictory. Perhaps an analogy would help. The human body is a good example. Brains gave me this one. We walk around every day with hardly a thought as to how it is we're walking. Or talking. Or eating. Or even thinking. Thousands of people crowd the streets of New York City. How many of them are looking at everyone else wondering how it is they're all doing what they're doing?

Answer? Not many.

The fact is our bodies are the most complex things in creation. The brain mystifies scientists to this day, let alone the intricacies of DNA. Outwardly, we are so simple. Yet inside, we are a complex myriad of interlocking systems and functions which keep us, the whole human being, working...so seemingly simply.

The world in which I live, the world I made, is much the same way. At first, I built it brick by brick. I laid a good foundation, not knowing at the time it would become much more than one aerospace company. But I won't make the mistake of forgetting who it is who really makes this all work. It's everyone from my own sons right on through International Rescue's worldwide field agents and all the way to the man in charge of delivering mail to every one of the thirty floors in Tracy Tower.

His name is Greg Stills, by the way. I make it a point to know who my employees are.

It's not just the mechanism that works. It's the people. You can have the best idea in the whole world, but without the right people, it will go nowhere. I have been fortunate enough to have the best people surrounding me. And here on Tracy Island, I am with the best of the best: my sons.

Now, this is something you probably already have a good idea about, but for posterity's sake...and since they won't see this until I'm gone...I'll go ahead and say it anyway. I am more proud of my sons than I ever thought possible. I have complete faith in each and every one of them. And bottom line, I love them.

When the idea for International Rescue was still germinating in my brain, my mother said to me, "Jeff, how can you even think of risking your sons' lives like that?" Well, I thought about that. I thought about it long and hard. Finally, I said to her, "We talk and talk about how the people of this world aren't willing to risk anything to help their fellow man. What right do I have to sit here and complain about it if I'm not willing to risk those most precious to me?"

After that, Mother never again questioned my reasoning.

Of course I don't want them injured or dead. That goes without saying. But I didn't force them into this. I sat down with each one of them individually, and then in a group, and told them my ideas. Without hesitation, they offered themselves as the core...the center of this organization we have built and maintained together. That is where my pride stems from. They are all accomplished men in their own right, each with their own strengths and achievements that aren't in any way related to International Rescue.

I'm very well aware of the personal sacrifices each has made to pursue this life of anonymity and, sometimes, solitude. But I also know they find comfort in each other and in the knowledge that what they're doing is making a difference...even if no one knows who they are. It can be frustrating to have to be so secretive, especially when it comes to the more personal aspects of life, such as friendship. But I think if you ask any one of them, they'll tell you it's worth it.

They didn't set out to be heroes. But in my opinion, that's what my sons are. Heroes. They are the men of International Rescue.

Jeff looked up from his writing to find Penelope standing in the door to his room. "Ah, Penny, I'm glad you're here."

"You certainly seem chipper, Jeff. What's that you've got?"

"Well, I heard Dr. Baines tell you I should probably be keeping a journal."

"Ah, so you've begun to write."

"Yes. And it's...freeing, somehow. Penny, you have to promise me something. And hear me out."

She nodded as she seated herself in the chair next to his bed.

"Promise me that no one outside you and my sons will ever read this after I'm gone." She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised his hand to silence her. "I said hear me out, Penny. I'm writing things in here that nobody else can see. Nobody. Things about International Rescue."

She nodded solemnly and placed her hand upon his arm. "I promise, Jeff. I'll make sure no one outside the inner circle ever sees it."

"Thanks," he said, tucking the journal beneath his blankets. "I'm assuming Brains has arrived."

"Yes. I'm sorry for not waking you, but you were fast asleep and we didn't want to disturb you. He's with the doctors now."

Jeff nodded and turned away to look out the window once more. "Think I'll ever get back out there, Penny?"

She reached over and forced him to turn his face toward her. "You'll do more than that, Jeff. What is International Rescue's motto?"

"Never give up," he replied softly. "At any cost."

"That's right. And you remember that. It's far too early to even think of giving up, and it's something I will not accept from you, no matter what happens. Besides," she continued, her hand caressing his cheek, "you have too much unfinished business in this world to even think about buying a ticket to the next."

As Jeff looked into her eyes, something stirred deep within him. Something he hadn't felt...hadn't allowed himself to feel...in more years than he could remember. "Yes, I suppose I do," he replied, reaching up and grasping her hand. She smiled, and he returned the gesture.

"I think I'd better be checking in with Brains and the doctors," she said. Jeff nodded, but neither of them moved. "I should go." Again, he nodded, but didn't move a muscle.

"Penny..."

"Shhh," she whispered, pulling her hand away and laying a silencing finger on his lips. "We have plenty of time, Jeff."

He could only watch as she rose to her feet and left the room. Within seconds of her departure, he grabbed his notebook and pen and began scribbling furiously on the blank pages within.

Outside, Penny took a deep breath as she leaned against the wall. She'd fully intended to distract him, to take his mind off what was happening. What she hadn't intended to do was betray her emotions so easily. Without a doubt, he now knew the one thing she'd kept expertly hidden for so many years. That she, Lady Penelope, was deeply in love with the head of International Rescue.

"Fantastic timing," she muttered as she took off down the hall. "As if the poor man hasn't anything else to deal with right now. Honestly, Penelope."

It's been a long time since I've even needed to try and read a woman in that way. But if I didn't know better, I'd say Penny has feelings for me. Love? Who knows? With Lucy, I knew at six years old, the very first time I saw her, that she was the one I would grow old with. But things didn't work out that way, and I always told myself there would never be another.

How do I even feel about Penny? I can't begin to imagine it's been anything more than fondness and a deep friendship. But then, just a few moments ago when she was so close...I don't know. I'm not sure what to think. But somehow, I know I'll never think of Penny the same way again. What I saw behind those eyes went far beyond simple friendship. But how can I allow this, whatever it is, to happen, knowing that I could be snatched from this earth in days, weeks, months?

If she is falling in love with me, her timing couldn't be worse. How could I ever ask her to love a dying man?

Can I ask her to accept love from that same man?

“Oh, God,” Jeff whispered as he let the pen and journal fall to his lap. Realization hit him like a steam roller, and for a moment he couldn’t catch his breath. “How did this happen? How did I…?” As his voice trailed off, he turned and looked out the window again. “What am I going to do?”

The evening passed with doctors and nurses coming and going, and Brains in almost constant attendance. Jeff was quiet, half listening to conversation about the tumor, half watching Penelope. For the most part, she averted his gaze, looking instead at anything or anyone who wasn't Jeff Tracy. Night fell, and Brains insisted Jeff needed his rest to face the barrage of tests and examination he'd be receiving in the morning.

Penelope gladly used this as an excuse not to stick around, in spite of Jeff's protests to the contrary. Everyone had left the room but her, and Jeff was trying, without much success, to get her to stay. "Now, Jeff, you heard Brains and the others. You need your rest."

"What I need is a friendly face."

"No," she countered, stalking up to his bed and pulling the blanket over him. "What you need is rest."

He took the opportunity to grab her hand tightly, refusing to let go even as she gently tried to pull away. "Look at me, Pen."

She started at his use of her nickname, a word he had used only once before, right after Scott had rescued her from a boathouse, and kept her from being blown sky high. Reluctantly she perched on the edge of the bed and sighed before looking down into his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"You know I'm not one to mince words, Penny. What's going on here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you."

"What do you want to know?" she repeated.

He reached up and cupped her face with his hand. "Am I so old that I'm misreading a lady that badly?"

"You'll never be old. You're Jeff Tracy."

He chuckled. "That's what you always say." Then he sobered as he continued. "I may not get the chance to grow old, Penny. I have to face that possibility."

"Jeff, I told you, I don't want to hear you talk like that."

"Penny, listen to me. I'm not foolish enough to think I'm invulnerable. And I'm not prepared to go just yet. But even if I do survive this, there's no telling whether or not I'll be the same man I am now."

"You'll always be the same man to me," came her whispered reply. She leaned down as he propped himself up on one elbow. She hesitated for only a moment before touching her lips to his. "Always. I'm not going to give up on you, Jefferson Tracy, no matter what. You're stuck with me."

He smiled as he smoothed her hair away from her face. "I think I could get used to that."

Eyes glistening, she enveloped him in her arms and leaned in to kiss him again. Their lips moved together, then opened in tandem as their tongues reached out to explore, to caress, to taste one another for the first time. When at last they parted, breathless from the exchange, their foreheads touched as they looked down at their entwined fingers.

"What are we going to do, Penny?"

"Live, Jeff. Live."

The next day was a whirlwind of activity. Beginning at eight o'clock in the morning, Jeff was subjected to more tests than Penny had ever seen performed on a single human being. Between monitoring his brainwave activity, sending him into a scanner that looked like something straight out of science fiction and being asked incessant questions about everything from what kind of carpeting he had in his bedroom to the floating incident that had occurred the morning before, Penelope barely had time to wish him good morning before she was relegated to the role of observer.

From time to time, in those brief moments when he was brought back to his room before being taken somewhere else yet again, Jeff's eyes would meet hers, and she would send silent thoughts his way to encourage him, support him and remind him that yes, she was there and she was there to stay. That would be all he needed to face whatever was in store for him next.

As such, by the time mid-afternoon rolled around, Jeff was exhausted, and Penny was drained just from having watched him go through it all. Dr. Baines, Dr. Treager, Brains, and the two neurosurgeons from New Zealand, Doctors Beckett and Rawlings, retreated to a conference room within the hospital to go over the results of the tests they had, and await those results which wouldn't be available for a few hours.

When Penelope at last found Jeff alone, unattended by this nurse or that orderly, he was half asleep. Thinking it might be best if she didn't disturb him; she turned to go, and nearly jumped out of her skin when he spoke.

"You didn't even say hi."

Chuckling at her own jumpiness, she returned to the bed and planted a long, firm kiss on his lips. When she tried to back away, however, his hand held the back of her head and pulled her to him once more as he deepened the kiss. Shockwaves rippled through them as the beeps and blips of various monitors and machines faded away. Several minutes later, they came up for air.

"Hi," she smiled shyly.

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"After that? Much better."

She smiled demurely and looked away. "I meant after all the tests they put you through. My goodness, there wasn't a spare moment of your time to be had!"

"Well, they're done for the day. My spare moments are all yours."

"No, Jeff, you must rest."

"Penny, don't start with that. No Mother Hen-ing allowed."

She turned back to look at him and graced him with a positively sinful glare. "The thoughts running through my mind right now are hardly those of a mother, Jeff Tracy."

He burst out laughing, but his laughter faded away as a strange look crossed her face. She rose and turned away from him to look out the window. "Penny? What is it?"

"I'm sorry; I don't know what I'm thinking. You already have so much to deal with right now. I've no right imposing upon you in such a manner."

"Imposing upon me? For Christ's sake, Penny, it's not like you're visiting the island unexpectedly."

"No, but I've no business doing this right now."

"Doing what, Penny? Loving me?"

Startled, she turned to face him. "What did you say?"

His face turned red. Baring emotions was definitely not his strong suit. He was straying into unfamiliar airspace, but at the moment he didn't care. "You heard me."

She sat upon his bed, twisting her body so that she was half-facing him. Once again that damnable lock of hair had fallen onto his forehead. And once again she moved it away. "Yes, I heard you."

"Well? That's it, isn't it? You don't want to love a dying man?"

"Oh, gods, Jeff, no! That's not it at all! Besides, you're not dying."

Jeff turned his face away. "I can't ask you to give me anything, Penny, when I don't know how much I can give in return."

She forced him to look at her. "You've given so much already. I'm the one who shouldn't be asking for anything more."

"I've given you nothing."

"Yes, you have! You've given my life purpose and meaning. You've welcomed me into your family, and you've talked me through some rather unpleasant times, Jeff. Most of all, you've given me your trust and your friendship. I can't...I won't...risk losing either. Not simply for the sake of unearthing long-buried feelings."

"How long, Pen?"

"Too long, Jeff," she whispered, turning away and rising to her feet. "Far too long."

"I had no idea."

"I know. It doesn't matter, at any rate. What matters is the here and now."

"No. What matters is the future. Penelope, look at me." She hesitated, then turned to face him. "We don't know what's going to happen with me."

"Jeff, none of us ever knows what's going to happen, except perhaps Kyrano."

He smiled. Yes, she was certainly right about that. His old friend had a knack for knowing what was just around the bend. He briefly wondered if Kyrano had foreseen this, had foreseen him...falling in love...with Penny.

"I've fallen in love with you," he blurted out.

"Jeff..."

"I'm sorry, Penny, I didn't...I didn't mean...to just...say it like that."

She smiled and climbed up onto the bed. Laying her head upon his chest, she grabbed one of his hands and snuggled into his body. "I do love you, Jeff," she whispered as their fingers intertwined. "I always have and I always will. No matter what happens."

"Are you sure?"

She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "You can't change what's in your heart."

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I don't suppose you can." He sighed deeply as her head lowered to his chest again. "I just hope we're not both making a big mistake."

When dawn broke the next day, Brains entered Jeff Tracy's hospital room and turned several shades of pink as he took in the sight before him. Lying so close together you couldn't be certain where one ended and the other began were Jeff and, of all people, Lady Penelope. Brains started to rush out of the room, but heard his name spoken very softly.

He turned to find Jeff's eyes wide open and looking directly at him. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Tracy," he whispered. "I-I didn't know...I-I mean, I didn't intend..."

"It's okay. Come here."

"Y-Yes, Mr. Tracy?" Brains said, averting his eyes.

"Have you come up with anything more?"

"We're, uh, still waiting for the results o-of two of the tests before a-a diagnosis can be made."

"Brains. Man to man. One-on-one here. How's it look?"

"The truth?"

"Always."

"I-I'm afraid Dr., uh, Treager's fears seem to be confirmed from what I-I can gather. The tumor h-has attached itself somehow to your, uh, brathalamus."

Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, not even realizing he'd squeezed Penny even tighter than he was already holding her. "Can you remove it?"

Brains chanced a look into his employer's eyes and his defenses crumbled completely as he sank into the nearby chair. "I-I don't know."

Jeff nodded. "How long?"

"I-It's tough to tell, Mr., uh, Tracy. You've been having these headaches f-for nearly a month now. But we cannot be certain h-how long the tumor has actually been there."

"Best guess?"

"I-If it's slow to i-increase in size, years."

"And if it's fast?"

Brains struggled to maintain his composure. "Weeks," came his whispered reply.

"I need to go home, Brains." The engineer nodded. "But first I need a couple of days with Penny. I need some time to figure out how I'm going to tell my sons."

"I-If you don't mind, I-I'd like to remain here."

"To do what?"

"Find a way to keep you from dying."

"Brains, I don't expect you to do so."

"I-I'm a genius," he replied. "I have it within me. I just...I have to try."

Jeff reached out his hand and grasped his young friend's firmly. "Then just in case I don't get to say it later, thank you."

Brains nodded as he fought back tears he hadn't even realized were so close to the surface. "I'll arrange for your, uh, release."

Jeff nodded and let his hand go. A few moments later, he felt something wet through his hospital gown. He looked down to find Penelope crying silent tears. "I'm sorry, Penny."

"He'll find a way, Jeff." Penelope said through her tears. "He must."

Late morning found Jeff, Penelope and Parker back at Bonga Bonga. The ride home had been painfully silent as Penny had alternated from allowing Jeff to hold her, to sliding nearly all the way to the other side of FAB One's spacious back seat. She couldn't help but feel that their revelations from the night before were putting more pressure on a man who already had such a large cross to bear. She felt guilty for it at times, and then at others wanted nothing more than to make him see she would be there 'til the very end.

The very end. Those were not words she had ever associated with Jefferson Tracy. Only a few days ago, she'd thought some emotional issue, or perhaps even something as simple as stress over his quibbling sons had been at the root of the change she'd seen within him. But now reality was hitting like a cement block, and the blow had sent her reeling. He was going to die. Plain and simple. Slow-growing or fast-growing, it didn't matter. The tumor, the evil invader which had sought to make Jeff's mind its home, was killing him. And Brains, though valiant in his vow to remain at the hospital and look for a cure, had sounded completely and utterly hopeless that morning.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and pound on Jeff's chest, forbidding him to leave her, to leave his family, to leave International Rescue behind. She was angry at him for not going to Brains sooner. She was angry at herself for being angry with him. But most of all, she was angry with that bundle of cells which now held Jeff's life in hands it didn't even have. How could such a small thing kill someone who was larger than life? How could it be so cruel to a man who had already suffered so much?

As they neared the ranch, Penny finally calmed herself, realizing that she was doing neither of them any good by wallowing in self-pity. She had to help Jeff through this. The toughest moment of all would be the moment he had to tell his family about the cancer. No one should have to face something like that alone, and Penny was determined to ensure he had her as a crutch to fall back on.

But first and foremost, she intended to show Jeff Tracy just how much she loved him. When they arrived at the house, she silently took his hand and led him to her room.

Brains and the four doctors studied the last of the test results which had just arrived from a nearby lab. When they looked up from their monitors, their faces all told the story with perfect clarity. Finally Dr. Beckett gave voice to that which no one wanted to say. "It's metastasized."

"No," Brains said, removing his glasses and setting them on the table. "No. There has to be a way. There has to."

It was Dr. Baines who spoke next. "But how, Dr. Braman? Nobody has the cure for cancer. It's eluded scientists for decades."

"I'm not talking about a cure."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I'm going to find a way to remove it, Dr. Baines."

His colleagues recognized that, out of the blue, this man whose intelligence seemed to know no bounds had suddenly stopped stuttering.

"But how?" Dr. Rawlings asked. "There's a full-out artery connecting the tumor to his brathalamus. You try to cut that, his brain will die. He'll bleed to death."

Running his hand over his face, Brains thought for a moment before replying, "Not if I can extract the artery from the tumor."

"What? The technology doesn't exist for an operation of that delicacy. He'd die on the table."

"The technology does exist, gentlemen," Brains said. "It's just a matter of knowing where to find it."

"From the looks of this scan, you don't even have three weeks. It's just not enough time."

"Dr. Treager, I've built far more complex machines in less time than we have. If you'll help me...if you'll all help me, I can do this."

The doctors just looked at one another in disbelief. They nearly jumped out of their chairs when Brains rose to his feet and slammed his fist down onto the table. "I have to try, dammit, don't you see? That man has done everything for me! Everything! I can't just let him die without trying!"

Dr. Baines looked at each of the other doctors in turn as Brains walked over to the window, trying desperately to get control of his emotions. Finally Baines rose to his feet and walked over to his new friend. "What do you need from us?"

TWO DAYS LATER...

There had been no rescues in the time Jeff had been absent from the island. Scott sat behind his father's desk staring at the same piece of paper he'd been staring at for nearly an hour. He hated paperwork. Hated it with a passion.

Repeated attempts to make peace with his brother had proven futile. No matter how many times he'd approached him, tried to talk to him about what had started this whole thing to begin with, Virgil had either stoically refused to speak at all, or had just left whatever room they were in. Their feud weighed heavily on his mind.

When, moments later, Virgil entered the Lounge, Scott decided it was time to end the animosity between them once and for all. He truly felt bad for what he'd done. It wasn't worth losing his relationship with Virgil. He wanted his brother back. Deciding the humble approach might work better than confrontation, Scott tucked his proverbial tail firmly between his legs and walked across the Lounge to where his brother was picking up a book off the end table.

"Not now, Scott."

"Yes, now. You've been avoiding talking about this for a week. Aren't you ever going to let me live it down?"

"No! You slept with my fucking ex, Scott! You expect me to just let that go?"

"How was I supposed to know, for Christ's sake! Why didn't you ever tell me you and Lena were going to get married? I thought she was just your ex, ancient history. Not your fiancée! You never said a word!"

"You'd just gone through hell with Gillian, Scott! What did you want me to do, rub your nose in the fact that I was in love?"

"You could've told me later."

"Later? Later it didn't matter. International Rescue came along and that was the end of it. That was end of us."

"So how can you hold it against me that I happened to look up some old friends?"

"You didn't just look them up, Scott. True to form, you slept with them."

"I only slept with Lena, Virg."

"That's enough."

"Are you sure it's me you're angry at?"

"Fuck you, Scott!"

"No, Virg, fuck you!" Scott replied. Before he knew it, Virgil's fist connected with his jaw. Scott reeled, the back of his hand coming up to touch the spot where he'd been hit. "You sonofabitch!"

"I don't know why I should be surprised, really. After all, look at your history. You'll sleep with anything that can breathe."

Scott glared at him. "Apparently, so will your ex-fiancée."

Virgil lunged at him again just as the vidphone behind the desk signaled an incoming call. Leaping out of his brother's way, Scott walked over and opened the line.

"Tracy residence."

"This is your father, Scott."

Scott fought to keep his voice from betraying the fight Jeff had interrupted. "Oh, hi, Dad. How are things?"

"Son, Penny and I will be leaving soon. When I arrive home, I'll expect you to have the family gathered in the Lounge. And that means everyone, including Tin-Tin and Kyrano."

"Dad? What for?"

"You'll find out when we get there." And then the line went dead.

Virgil had joined Scott near the desk. "Why would he want us all gathered here when he gets home?"

"I don't know."

Anger melted away from Virgil's face, his look of concern mirroring his brother's. "What could this be about?"

Scott shrugged. "My gut tells me something's wrong. Very wrong." He looked up into his brother's eyes. "Virg, please, can't you forgive me? I didn't know Lena was so important to you. I was drunk off my ass...it happened...I know that's no excuse..."

Virgil looked away. "I know. You're right. It isn't really you I'm mad at, I guess. She obviously didn't mind that she was sleeping with my brother."

"Thank God he didn't use visual transmission," Scott remarked as he dabbed at a bit of blood trickling down his lip." Scott held out his hand. "Truce?"

Virgil nodded and grasped his brother's forearm. "Truce."

They pulled each other into a hug just as the radar signaled an incoming jet. Backing away, Scott said, "They're almost home."

"Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think everything's okay?"

"I hope so, Virg. For all our sakes."

"Are you ready, Jeff?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Penny. And thanks for coming along. You really didn't have to."

"Nonsense. You know full well I'm not going to leave your side, no matter what."

Jeff leaned over and kissed her deeply, wishing that he knew whether or not it would be the last time he'd be doing so. Sure, they’d said three weeks, but…who knew for sure? He backed away and took a deep breath. "I guess it's now or never."

The two exited the cockpit of Tracy One and took the elevator situated just outside Thunderbird 2's hangar up to the floor that housed Brains' lab. As they passed its door, Jeff stopped and touched it with his fingertips. "I wish Brains was here. He's as much a part of this family as anyone."

"He's finding a way to save your life."

"Trouble is, when he's unable to do it, how's that going to make him feel when I die?"

Penny's lower lip trembled, but only for a moment until she regained her composure. She wrapped her arms around him and reveled in the feel of him doing the same. "Three weeks isn't enough," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I want more time."

"So do I, Penny. So do I." He held her for a few more minutes before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "We'd better get up there."

She nodded and grasped his hand firmly in her own as they continued on their way.

Ruth's eyes widened as her son entered the Lounge hand-in-hand with Lady Penelope. Kyrano merely smiled, but that smile turned quickly to a frown as he sensed their thoughts. No one spoke for a few moments as the impact of seeing their father and Penny together sunk in.

"Welcome back, Dad," Scott finally said.

This was followed by a chorus of welcoming and questioning voices, asking how he was, how Penny was, how Parker was, what the doctors had found out about Jeff's blackout, and why he'd called them all together to begin with. John watched the melee with amusement from his vid portrait.

"There will be time to answer all your questions soon enough," Jeff said, holding up his hands in mock defense of the mild attack by his loved ones. He moved to sit behind his desk, where he felt shielded...safe from the onslaught of emotion he figured was coming. Penelope stood directly behind him, her hand upon his shoulder. "There's a reason I wanted you all together right now. As you know, something happened to me at Bonga Bonga. Actually, something happened to both Penny and I."

Virgil and Scott exchanged a look. They both had a pretty good idea what that something was. It was all they could do not to chuckle.

Jeff told them about his headaches, about how he'd been having them for nearly a month before going to visit Penny. He then relayed the story of what Penny said had happened the day of the stampede. When he finished, nobody knew quite what to say. The story was fantastical, to say the least.

"Sir, are you telling us that you have some sort of supernatural abilities?"

Jeff shrugged. "That's the only time I've seen them work, if I do. But there's more that you need to know."

"Jeff, is something wrong?" Ruth asked as she seated herself upon the settee.

"You could say that, Mother. Now, what I'm about to tell you isn't going to be easy to hear. It's not going to be easy for me to say. But I don't want an uproar when I'm finished. Is that clear?"

Murmurs and nods of assent were his replies.

"Good. After the incident on the ranch, Penny and Parker got me to the hospital. It took a few days and a lot of tests, but they finally figured out why I was able to somehow lift us off the ground in time to avoid the stampede."

"How?"

Jeff opened his mouth to speak, but words would not come. The looks of fear so evident on their faces were more than he could bear. In desperation, he turned his face up and back, silently begging Penelope for help. She squeezed his hand and leaned down so her mouth was next to his ear. "You can do this."

Nodding, he turned back to face them. His friends. His family. The most precious gifts in his life.

"What is it, Dad?" Alan asked as he approached the desk. "What's this all about? And why didn't Brains come back with you?"

"He stayed in Sydney to work with the doctors who cared for me while I was there."

"Work on what?" Gordon asked.

"A cure."

"For what?" John asked from his place on the wall.

Jeff took a deep breath, dreading the words he was about to say. "For me. I have a brain tumor." His family sat in stunned silence. You could have heard a pin drop. "It's inoperable." Tin-Tin let out an involuntary sob and sought comfort in her father's arms.

"How long, Dad?" Scott whispered.

"The results of the tests they ran indicate that I have...it's a fast-growing tumor. I could be...they said...Brains thinks..." His resolve quickly deteriorating, Jeff turned his chair away. He just couldn't look at their faces...faces filled with pain and sorrow, caused by him. "I can't, Penny. I just can't. Tell them for me. Please."

A single tear escaped Penelope's eye as she looked up at the small group she'd come to love so much. "Three weeks," she choked out. "They gave him three weeks."

"No!" Alan cried. "No!"

Before anyone could stop him, he'd disappeared out onto the balcony. They could hear him pounding down the long, curving staircase and out past the pool.

"There's got to be a mistake," Gordon breathed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No, son," Jeff said as he turned to face them again. "There's no mistake."

"But they have to be able to get it out! Brains could do it! He could do it, Dad!"

Jeff just shook his head as he looked across the room to his middle son. "No, John. He's trying. God knows he's trying. But it's metastasized. Even if they could get the tumor out, the cancer's already in my blood."

Ruth's face scrunched up and before Jeff knew it, tears were streaming down her face. "My baby," she whispered. Rising to her feet, she came around the side of the desk and hugged her seated son ferociously. "He can find a way to do it, Jeff," she said. "If anyone can, it's Brains."

"Mother, everyone, listen to me. I don't want any of you having false hopes that Brains or anyone else is going to keep this from taking me. There's nothing I can do now but make sure that when I'm gone, you will all have everything you need to continue without me."

"We can't do this without you," Virgil's husky voice declared.

Jeff rose and glared sternly at his son. "The hell you can't, Virgil. International Rescue is to continue operations until the last of us is standing. And I mean the last. Do I make myself clear?"

Penelope couldn't help the small smile that came forth. This was the Jeff Tracy she was used to. This was the commander, the leader, the unstoppable force she'd fallen in love with.

"Gordon, go after your brother, make sure he doesn't do something idiotic."

"Yes, Sir," Gordon replied, and he took off running.

Kyrano caught Jeff's eye from across the room. For a moment, they seemed to be silently communicating. Finally, Jeff nodded, and Kyrano led his daughter from the room.

"Mother, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a good, strong cup of coffee. I haven't had any in weeks."

"Anything for you, son," she replied, turning to descend the two small steps that led to the Lounge floor proper. But just as she stuck her foot out to take the first step, her blouse caught on the edge of the desk. The next few moments seemed to happen in time-lapse as she lost her balance and began to fall.

Her head was rapidly nearing the corner of the desk when Jeff cried, "Mother!" Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, don't fall.

As though the hand of God Himself reached down from the heavens, Ruth's head and body seemed to bounce off an invisible balloon as her body lifted into the air and floated two feet before being lowered to the settee.

"Grandma!" Scott yelled, rushing to her side. At that same instant, his father cried out in pain, sinking into the chair behind his desk. He held his head between his hands and groaned in agony.

"Oh, no, not again! Jeff!" Penny turned her attention from him to Virgil. "Quickly, get his bag from the jet! It's got his medicine!"

Virgil raced out of the room, still in shock by what they'd all witnessed. For all intents and purposes, and as far as he could tell, his father had just saved his grandmother's life by levitating her out of harm's way. It was a miracle. But a miracle brought on by tragedy.

"Penelope! Is he okay?" John shouted from the wall.

"As soon as he gets his medicine, the pain should be under control. I just have to keep him from losing consciousness." She crouched down in front of him and made him look at her. The look in his eyes made her want to weep. He was in so much pain he could barely focus. Squeezing his eyes shut, his breath began coming in heavy pants, his groans dissolving into an occasional whimper.

In less than three minutes Virgil returned with the bag. Scott fetched a glass of water, and offered it to Penny as she rummaged through the bag for the prescription. Finding it, she popped two pills into Jeff's mouth as he began to swoon. "Stay with me, Jeff. Stay with me. Come on, drink the water. That's it. Get the pills down." He managed to take enough in that the medicine washed down his throat. He leaned heavily upon Penelope, who spoke softly to him as the world finally stopped spinning.

Ruth, none the worse for wear, sat up and looked to where Penny held her son in her arms. "My God," she breathed.

"That's what happened before? Out on the ranch?"

"Yes, Scott. However it is he can do these things, they seem to take a terrible toll upon him after. Will you help me get him to his room?"

"You okay, Grandma?"

"Yes, help your father."

Scott knelt down next to his father and was astonished to see tear tracks on his face.

"Scott..."

"I'm here, Dad. We're gonna get you to your room. Okay?"

Jeff nodded as Scott put one of his arms over his shoulders, and Virgil did the same for his other arm. With them holding him up, and Penny following close behind, they made their way to Jeff's suite. Once they had him comfortably tucked into bed, Penny sank onto the couch in the suite's sitting room.

"How long have you known, Penny?" Scott asked as Virgil remained seated on his father's bed.

"Just a few days. He swore us to secrecy. He wanted to tell you himself." Scott nodded, his face unreadable. "Scott, you need to call Brains. Tell him exactly what happened."

He turned in silence to leave, but stopped at the door and said, "Don't leave him, Penny. He needs you now."

"I won't. I already made him that promise."

Scott nodded curtly and left. Virgil entered the room and spoke quietly. "Dad's asking for you." With that, he reached down and helped her to her feet. "I can't believe this, Penelope. I won't believe it. I can't just stand idly by while my father dies."

She looked up at the pain in his eyes and placed a hand on his arm. "There is something you can do."

"What? Anything. Name it."

"There's a small chance that Brains could actually come up with something before three weeks has passed. Just make sure he has all he needs to try."

"Never give up," Virgil said.

"At any cost."

"What happened out there, Penny? How long have I been asleep?"

"Well, I'll answer your second question first. You've been asleep for nearly three hours."

"What about my first question? Did it happen again?"

"You don't remember?"

"No. The last thing I saw was my mother falling. Next thing I know you're shoving pills down my throat."

"You stopped her from falling, Jeff. It was like she bounced off a feather-light pillow. Not only that, but she rose into the air, floated out over the settee and came down. Gently."

"I didn't drop her?"

Penny chuckled. "No. Fancy treating your mother better than me where levitational experiences are concerned."

Jeff rolled over and kissed her softly on the lips. "Penny, I need to see each one of my boys over the next few days. Alone, and with plenty of time blocked off."

"I understand. Have you any idea what you're going to say to them?"

"Not a clue. But I've been given the chance to do something most men don't: to make my peace with those I love before I go."

"I suppose that is a gift. But what happens if Brains finds your cure and you live?"

"Well, aside from being happy I got a second chance, I suppose I'd also be glad they knew how I felt, that we'd sat down and talked. It's something I should've done long ago, Penny. They're my sons. I owe them that much."

"You are the most amazing man I have ever met."

"Not really. I'm just a man, Penny. A man facing his own mortality."

"And facing it with a strength and wisdom I have always admired."

"You know, I just realized something."

"What's that?"

"Your opinion isn't worth the paper it's written on. You're jaded."

"I've always been jaded. You're only just now realizing this?"

Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her. Very slowly. Very thoroughly. Very much like a man in love.

"Scott?"

"Leave me alone, Virg."

"Have you talked to Brains yet?"

"No."

"Listen, I'm sorry...you know, for what I said."

Scott turned to look up at him. "Don't worry about it. I've always had sort of a reputation, I guess."

Virgil seated himself on a nearby chair. "It all seems so inconsequential now. Fighting over a woman, I mean, what with Dad..."

"Yeah, it does."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Either you call Brains or I'll do it for you."

"What's your hurry?"

"Penny says I should make sure Brains has everything he needs. I need to let him know I'm on my way."

"You're leaving? Now??"

"Scott, I can't just sit around here and watch him die without doing anything! I can't do that any more than you can."

Scott allowed himself the luxury of a smile. "Fine. Put the call in to Brains, then. Only tell him there are two Tracys coming."

"What is this concerning, Mrs. Tracy?"

"Jeff has made up a schedule, Kyrano. I'm supposed to make sure you're all notified of the day and time he wants to meet with you."

"Meet with us?"

"He just wants to make sure...he's..." Her voice faltered and Kyrano laid a hand upon her arm.

"He wishes to make peace with those he loves."

She could do nothing but nod, and had very soon left the kitchen. Kyrano looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. He wouldn't be meeting with Jeff for another three days. That still gave him time for his meditations. By the time their meeting occurred, Kyrano knew he'd be ready.

"You can't leave now! I've got you both set up for the seventh and eighth days!"

"Trust me, Dad; we'll be back by then."

"Yeah. Don't worry. We'll make those meetings."

Jeff looked upon his two eldest sons with nothing but pride. He didn't want to sit around here dwelling on his brain tumor any more than they did. But he had unfinished business to tend to where not only his companies were concerned, but also International Rescue and each person who dwelled on this island. In fact, he was scheduled to meet with Tin-Tin in just under an hour. His sons, though, were a different story. He couldn't expect them to sit around twiddling their thumbs. It wasn't in their genes.

"Make sure Brains gets his rest, boys. You know how he gets when he's onto something."

"Yeah," Virgil smirked. "Dog with a bone. You sure you're all right?"

"Oh, I've got plenty of people here to look after me, don't you worry."

Virgil approached his father, hesitating for only a moment before wrapping his arms around the slightly shorter man. "I love you, Dad," he whispered.

"I love you too, Virgil. I'm proud of you, son."

Virgil backed away and held his father's eyes for only a moment before exiting his suite.

"Scott?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I know we're not scheduled for our talk for another week. In fact, I saved you 'til last for a reason."

"I figured."

"But I want to tell you I'm more proud of you than I ever imagined possible. I just want you to know that. You know, in case."

"In case nothing, Dad. You'll beat this. I know you will. You...you can do anything."

Jeff bit his lip. That's what Scott had always said to him as a boy. If Jeff would claim he couldn't fix one of his son's model airplanes or build the tree house just the way Scott wanted it, the dark-haired, blue-eyed youngster would always reply, "Sure you can, Daddy. You can do anything."

"I love you, Scott."

"I know, Dad," Scott replied, walking forward and standing awkwardly in front of his father. "I love you, too."

If there was one thing Jeff had learned over the past few days, it was to take nothing for granted. Never assume there will always be a tomorrow to hug your child or tell someone you love them. Never assume you'd have time later to say and do the things on your long list of goals. Because you never knew when tomorrow wouldn't come anymore.

As such, he reached out, grabbed his eldest, and pulled him into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most."

Scott backed away, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But you were, Dad. You were always there. And if I have anything to say about it, you always will be."

With that, he turned and left.

Jeff wiped a hand across his eyes. It was damn hard not to cry when emotions were so raw, so near the surface. Well, he'd better pull himself together. Tin-Tin had always been an emotional girl, and that hadn't changed as she'd matured. He was quite certain his conversation with her wouldn't end with dry eyes. Checking his chronometer, he discovered he still had thirty minutes before she would arrive. Pulling his journal out from beneath the blue comforter covering his bed, Jeff grabbed a pen off the night stand, sat down on the bed, and began to write.

As predicted, his meeting with Tin-Tin had been somewhat of a tear-jerker. They'd spent three hours talking about him, about her, about Kyrano, about Tin-Tin's mother. And especially about Alan. Jeff hated to be stern at a time like this, but he wanted everything off his chest, and that meant chiding this young lady he thought of as sort of a surrogate daughter about her behavior where Alan was concerned. He made it very clear that she and Alan had his blessing, should she decide he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And he cautioned her about acting irrationally, but also warned her not to take too long.

"If you love him, Tin-Tin, tell him. Alan needs to know that. He deserves to know."

Though she hadn't admitted her feelings to Jeff, she'd nodded and promised she would stand by his family after he was gone, no matter what.

Now Jeff lay on his bed, the events with Tin-Tin taking their toll. He was emotionally exhausted. Jeff Tracy wasn't used to being completely frank about what he was thinking and feeling. He wished he had more time to learn how to do it, but as it was, he didn't. And so he did the best he could. But it hadn't been easy with Tin-Tin, and it sure wasn't going to get any easier as the days went by.

Jeff turned and looked at the clock on his night stand. Second by second, time was slipping away. Minute by minute, this first full day home was drawing to a close. The end was nearing…much too quickly for his liking. He heard the door to his suite swish open and rolled over to face his visitor.

"Jeff, I encountered Tin-Tin in the hall. Are you all right?"

"Just tired, is all," he replied, patting the bed next to where he lay. She came over and lay down next to him, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her. "You really think Brains can find a cure?"

"Why, Jefferson Tracy, do I detect a hint of hope in your voice?"

He sighed. "I guess all I have are a bucket full of wishes. And as Mother always used to say, if wishes were fishes, we'd all have a mess."

"Well, they're not fishes, Jeff. Sometimes wishes are all we have to cling to."

Penny traced lazy circles on his stomach with her hand as she felt the rise and fall of his chest become slower and more evened. Before long, he was snoring softly. "You know what I wish, Jeff? I wish I could listen to you snore every night for the rest of my life. That's what I wish."

"Brains? Jesus, Mary, you look like hell!"

"Oh, hi, Scott. Virgil, could you hand me that text over there? Uh, no, the one with the green binding. Yes, that's the one."

"Brains?" Virgil said as he fetched the book in question. "You're not stuttering."

"Just a side effect."

"Of what?" Scott asked.

"Determination."

"Damn, if you invented the Thunderbirds with no determination, what the hell are you going to do with it?"

"Save your father, Virgil. If I have my way, that is."

"How are you coming along, Brains? Do you need anything?"

"No, Scott, don't think so. The doctors here have gone out of their way to make sure I have everything I need."

Virgil's and Scott's faces fell. They'd wanted so much to help.

"Where are the doctors now?"

"I sent them home for some rest."

"You need rest, too, Brains. You can't possibly work if you're exhausted."

"I don't need any sleep, Scott. I can go for days without it, you know that." Suddenly he froze as his eyes fell upon something in the book. "O-Oh, my God, that's it. That has to be it!"

"What?" the brothers exclaimed in unison.

"Why didn't I think of this before? Scott? Virgil? You can help. This is what we're going to try."

Day Two of Jeff's meetings passed with his mother. They'd spent over ten hours together, one-on-one, talking about everything from the night Ruth had met Jeff's father, Grant, to the day Jeff was born, his childhood, Lucille, the births of Ruth's grandsons, and even Lucy's death. It had been a day filled with both laughter and its own fair share of tears, but by the time he sat down to eat dinner, Jeff felt better than he had in years. For the first time ever, he and his mother had talked...actually talked. There was something to be said for clearing the air, he realized. His only regret was that he hadn't done so years earlier.

The dinner table was nearly silent. No one really knew what to say. Gordon and Alan tried some small talk about the latest movie playing in Auckland, but the conversation soon fizzled. Jeff's illness was bringing home to them just how unimportant certain things were. You never thought about it when everything was going smoothly, never thought about whether or not it really mattered that a certain starlet had been caught sleeping with a married producer; never thought about whether or not missing the next episode of your favorite TV program was really the end of the world; never thought about whether or not something your brother had said to you fifteen years earlier was worth bringing up just for the sake of causing an argument.

But now, with the death of their father looming on the horizon, these were things they were all thinking about. These things and more. As the men and women of International Rescue, most of the island's residents faced danger whenever they answered a call for help. And on more than one occasion, they had faced their own mortality. But this was their father. Their father.

Alan looked up from his plate and studied his dad's overly tired face. His mind flashed back to his first day of school, when his father had held his small hand and walked him through the door of his Kindergarten room. He'd made sure Alan was seated at his new desk, spoken to his teacher, and left his son to brave the new world of public education all on his own. And on that first day, when Jeff had gone to pick Alan up in the early afternoon, he'd said, "I'm proud of you, Alan. You made it through your first day. You're my hero."

Have I ever told you, Dad, that you're my hero?

Alan shook his head, pushed his chair away from the table, and left the dining room. The others watched him go and continued eating in silence. Finally, Gordon pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. "I'd better go after him," he said.

Jeff nodded. He knew Alan was taking this hard. His youngest son hadn't spoken more than two words to him since he'd told them about the cancer. In two days, Alan would relieve John of duty long enough for him to meet with his father, then John would return to Thunderbird 5. Alan was scheduled for the day after, Tuesday. That was when he'd let his youngest get it all out of his system. He didn't know what to expect from him, actually. Didn't know quite what to expect from any of his boys.

What would they show him? Anger? Tears? Maybe even hatred? He had no idea. But right now, as he finished his meal, he realized he was completely spent. Rising to his feet, he announced, "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Good night, Jeff."

"'Night, Dad."

"Good night, everyone."

Penelope watched him go, then rose to help Kyrano and Ruth with the clean-up. Tin-Tin wandered out into the Lounge, and was surprised when John's video portrait began to beep and blink. She went over to Jeff's desk and opened a channel. "International Rescue, come in, Thunderbird 5."

"Tin-Tin? Where's Dad?"

"He's just gone off to bed."

"Oh, no I haven't," Jeff said as he strode across the room. "I heard you buzz, John. What's going on?"

"I swear, you have the ears of a cat," John breathed, relieved that his father looked as well as he did. "We've got a rescue, Father. Better send Scott and Virgil out."

"They're not here. They went to Sydney to help Brains out." Jeff hit the button that started the klaxon wailing. "Fill me in."

Soon Thunderbird 1 had been dispatched with Alan as her pilot. Thunderbird 2 wasn't far behind, with Gordon flying her and Tin-Tin riding second. The rescue operation looked to be a fairly simple one, an out-of-control oil well fire in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Jeff insisted upon staying in command, despite Penelope's protests that he looked exhausted and needed to be in bed.

Determined not to let him out of her sight, Penny settled into one of the Lounge's sofas with a book she had no intention of reading. Casting her eyes down at its pages, she would sneak a look up every now and then to check on Jeff.

"You're Mother Hen-ing me again," he commented about an hour into the rescue.

"Well, what do you expect, you stubborn man? You know full well how concerned I am."

"I know, Penny. And I appreciate it, really, I do. But...couldn't you just for one night stop acting like I've already got one foot in the grave?"

Penelope opened her mouth to deny the charges against her, but closed it just as quickly. He was right, she realized. She'd been treating him with kid gloves ever since they'd returned to Tracy Island. He was still in charge, it was still his home, and he was still commander of International Rescue.

"As always, Jeff, you've made your point. Now I'm going to take a long, hot bath. When you're finished out here, you know where to find me if you need me."

"Thanks, Penny," he smiled in return.

Truth be told, the Mother Hen-ing, as Jeff called it, wasn't really grating on his nerves that badly. What he wanted, more than anything, was to just sit behind his desk during this, what might be the last rescue he ever manned, and see it through from start to finish on his own. Soon enough, Scott would be taking control of things.

"One more rescue," he said to the now-empty room. "At least that wish has come true."

Two hours later, Alan arrived back at Base covered in oil and grime. The operation had been a success, and as the revolving door swiveled him into the Lounge, he stood for a moment to watch his father tapping away at his computer, undoubtedly recording the events of the evening in the IR Log File. "Gordon and Tin-Tin will be here in about ten minutes," he said before crossing in front of his father's desk.

"You did well, Alan. You've got a good, level head on you. I'm proud of you."

Alan stopped halfway across the floor and turned to face his father. "I'm proud of you too, Dad," he replied. Then he turned on heel and left.

"Proud of me?" Jeff repeated. "What on earth for?"

He had been doing a lot of thinking about how he felt concerning each of his sons. But it hadn’t occurred to them to wonder how they felt about him.

I’m proud of you too, Dad.

Jeff smiled. “Thanks, son,” he whispered.

Jeff made his way to Landing Control in the Cliff House just above the entrance to Thunderbird 2's hangar. He wanted to see the giant machine land in person. While sitting at his desk, he realized that he hadn't done so in a long, long time. The palm trees had already swung back, and the rock face door was already down. He could hear her engines in the distance. The thrill of seeing the old girl in action never seemed to fade. He could understand why Virgil loved her so much. She was an amazing piece of work, Thunderbird 2.

He watched as she grew from a tiny pinpoint of blinking lights in the distance to a larger and larger shape until at last she couldn't have been more than a couple miles out. But what he'd intended as a silent moment alone watching the magnificent ship land turned into nothing short of a nightmare.

Just under a mile out, Jeff realized something was terribly wrong. "Gordon!" he cried into his watch. "Gordon, you're coming in too fast!"

"I've lost elevator control, Dad! I don't know what's wrong! I can't slow her, and I can't raise her!"

"Keep the nose up, son. Keep the nose up!"

"Hang on, Tin-Tin! We're gonna crash!"

"No," Jeff breathed as the green ship's nose hit the tarmac, took a bounce, and then crashed into the pavement with sparks flying everywhere. He raced back to Fire Control and activated the foam dispensers, then ran back out onto the patio. "He'll never get her stopped."

Then a thought occurred to him. He and Penny at Bonga Bonga. His mother in the Lounge. Jeff closed his eyes, held his hands out in front of him with palms facing the screeching giant and began repeating, "Don't crash. Don't crash. Don't crash. Don't crash."

Thunderbird 2 bore down on the cliff. Inside the cockpit, Gordon knew there was no way he could keep from crashing into it. As they neared what might turn out to be their final destination, he saw with horror that his father was standing directly above where he was going to hit. "Dad! Noooo!"

Having heard the racket coming from the tarmac, Alan sprinted through the tunnel leading to the Cliff House. One quick look told him all he needed to know. His father was about to die, and it wouldn't be the tumor that did it. "Dad! Come on, she's gonna crash! You have to get out of here!"

But Jeff didn't move. Alan stood transfixed as his father remained with arms outstretched, repeating over and over again, "Don't crash, don't crash, don't crash."

And if Alan hadn't seen what happened next with his own eyes, he never would have believed it. Thunderbird 2's nose slid to the right then, as though hitting a giant invisible airbag, came to a screeching halt before bouncing slightly backwards. Fire retardant rained down upon the ship as Jeff cried out and dropped to his knees.

"Dad!" Alan rushed to his father's side. "The medicine. Where's the goddamn medicine?" he cried, searching his pockets. At last he found the small brown container in Jeff's shirt pocket. He palmed two pills, then pried his father's mouth open and shoved them as far back on his tongue as he could.

He ran into the nearest bathroom, filled a glass with water, and returned to Jeff. "Dad, here, you have to drink this. You have to get the medicine down." Though it was a mighty effort, Alan succeeded in at least getting Jeff to swallow the pills, never mind that most of the water ended up on their shirts. Jeff moaned in pain, his head between his hands, as Alan knelt in front of him. He placed his hands over his father's and looked into pain-filled eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Dad. Tell me what to do."

Jeff just squeezed his eyes shut as he let out another roar of pain. Tears filling his eyes, Alan did the only thing he could think to do. He wrapped his arms around his father, placing his head upon his shoulder and just held him. "Stay with me, Dad. I have so much I want to tell you. So much I want you to know. Please, Dad."

That was how, twenty minutes later, Gordon, Tin-Tin, Penny, Kyrano and Ruth found them.

"He did it again. Didn't he?" Penny asked.

Alan didn't respond, but Gordon stared at his father in amazement. "So that's what that was! We were speeding out-of-control. I was sure we were gonna crash right into the cliff. Then all of a sudden it was like we hit cotton candy and just bounced off somehow."

"Dad did it," Alan mumbled into his father's shoulder. "He stopped Thunderbird 2 from crashing. I saw him do it. He saved us."

"Is he unconscious?" Tin-Tin asked.

Alan nodded. "Yeah, but he's breathing steady."

"We should get him to the Hospital Ward and get a scan. I'm sure Brains will ask for one once we tell him what happened."

"You're right, Tin-Tin. But first the two of you need to get cleaned up. How shall we ferry him to the Ward?"

"Hover stretcher," Gordon replied. "Kyrano, they're just inside the door there."

Kyrano grabbed a stretcher and helped Alan load his father onto it. Tin-Tin headed for a shower while Ruth, Penny and Kyrano took Jeff to the Ward. Only Gordon and Alan remained behind.

"I felt so helpless, Gordo. He was in so much pain. His eyes...I gave him his medicine. I tried to keep him awake. But I couldn't."

Mindful of the fact that Alan was clean while he himself was still filthy, Gordon approached his younger brother, but didn't touch him. "You probably saved his life by getting his meds in him as fast as you did. You did everything you could. You know that's all Dad ever asks of us."

"But what if everything I can do isn't enough?"

"Then at least you'll know you tried."

Alan couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't take it. He hadn't shed a single tear since Jeff had told them all about the tumor. But now, in the wake of what had happened at dinner and the rescue and this most recent manifestation of Jeff's abilities, Alan was too terrified to care anymore if anyone did see him crying. Terrified of Jeff's painful attacks. Terrified that he'd be alone with him again when it happened, and wouldn't do something right. Terrified of losing the only parent he'd ever known.

He sank to the floor and began to cry. Ignoring the smudges of oil and grease on his uniform, hands and face, Gordon helped Alan to his feet and enveloped him in a hug. "It's about time, Al. Let it out. Just let it out."

"Oh, no."

"What? What is it, Brains?"

"These latest scans Tin-Tin sent over after your father's most recent display of his abilities."

"Tell us what we're looking at."

"Well, Scott, to the untrained eye it might not look any different. But when you compare it to the last scan that was taken before he left the hospital, you can see what's happening."

"It's getting larger," Virgil breathed. "Brains, is it supposed to grow that quickly?"

"Generally, no. I'll have to confirm with Dr. Treager, but it looks like each time your father uses one of his abilities, the tumor substantially increases in size."

"What does that mean, Brains?"

"It means we're running out of time, Scott." He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It means we're running out of time."

"Everyone, I wanted to gather you here to relay the latest news from Brains. According to the scan I sent to him, Mr. Tracy's tumor has increased by 7% since he left Australia."

"What? But why?"

"Brains and Dr. Treager believe it's because of these abilities he has, Mrs. Tracy. Every time he uses them, the tumor grows."

Alan and Gordon wandered into the Hospital Ward just as Tin-Tin finished her explanation. They all noticed Alan's puffy, red eyes, but no one said a word. The boys went to their father and seated themselves in two chairs on either side of the hospital bed.

"I think perhaps it would be best if we didn't hover," Penelope offered. The others nodded in agreement and they all left the Ward.

"You think he'll make it to Tuesday?" Alan asked.

"Of course he will. Don't worry, Al.” There was a moment of silence as Gordon regarded his brother. “You know, it's nearly 2am. You should try to get some rest. You have to relieve Johnny tomorrow."

"I think I'm going to stay here for a little while."

"Mind if I keep you company?"

Alan shook his head no, and so Gordon remained. They sat in silent vigil over their father's bed, each lost in their own thoughts, marveling at how Jeff had saved their lives, but cursing that which had made it possible. Before long, one blonde head and one copper-haired head were resting on the bed. Soft snoring filled the air.

Two hours later, when Jeff awoke, he felt the presence of his sons before he even saw them. Alan was dreaming...dreaming about...race cars. And Gordon...Gordon was dreaming about...about a mermaid. Jeff's eyes widened. He could sense their thoughts. What was it the doctor had said back in Sydney?

I even had a patient once who could read the minds of others. He lived for only three days after he first exhibited that ability.

Jeff grimaced as he placed a hand on each of his sons' heads. I'll be damned if I let this thing get me in three days. I have an agenda, and by God, if you're going to take me, you're going to take me on my schedule!

The next morning found Jeff Tracy up and about almost as though nothing had happened. Everyone noticed he seemed to be exuding more determination than before. As scheduled, he met with Kyrano. When the two men emerged from Jeff's suite five hours later, Kyrano nearly crawled to his own room. Tin-Tin tended to her father while Ruth heated a late lunch. Gordon and was working on repairs to Thunderbird 2 with the newly returned John, but Penny joined Jeff at the kitchen table, just watching him as he ate.

"You look...different somehow, Jeff. Years younger."

"I feel different. Kyrano convinced me to meditate with him."

"Seriously?"

Jeff nodded as he took a bite of food.

"How did it go?"

"Good, I suppose. I don't know much about those things."

"He looked awfully spent when he left your room. Tin-Tin was worried about him."

"I am, too, Penny, but he assured me he was fine. He said I was a tough nut to crack."

Penelope laughed out loud. "Kyrano said that?"

"Well, not exactly. It was more like, 'Your mind is difficult to penetrate'. Or something to that effect."

"Isn't that the truth?"

"Watch it."

Penny laughed lightly. "You're in much better spirits. I'm so glad."

"I just realized something."

"What's that?"

"Isn't John supposed to be here?"

"Yes, he is. He arrived this morning at ten o'clock. I believe he's been with Gordon most of the time."

Jeff nodded. "You know, Penny, I'm feeling good. Instead of waiting until tomorrow, I think I'd like to have a talk with John now."

"Very well. I shall endeavor to send him your way. Your suite?"

"Yes. Thanks, Penny. I'll just finish up here. Shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes or so."

As he raised the fork to his mouth, Jeff wasn't surprised when Penny's hand halted its ascent. She leaned over and kissed him soundly. "I missed that last night."

"So did I."

Penny rose to her feet. "Jeff, has anyone ever told you that you taste like mashed potatoes?"

He chuckled and threw his napkin at her retreating form. Jeff took the time to savor his meal as he reflected upon his time with Kyrano. They had talked for only half an hour before Kyrano explained to him what he wanted to do. The mind, he said, was a powerful tool if you knew how to use it. Not only did he want to work at decreasing the size of the tumor mentally, he also wanted Jeff to learn how to harness his newest ability, to sense the thoughts of others.

"If you cannot control the incoming signals, they will overwhelm you. Especially if there are multiple minds present."

"So it's kind of like...tuning a radio."

"Yes. But first we must concentrate on the tumor. Then we shall work on your sensory capabilities."

Jeff had asked if it would be possible to use his seeming ability to make things happen with his mind to get the cancer to stop growing. If he could turn that power inward, use it on the enemy who was enabling the abilities to begin with.

"I would not recommend it, Mr. Tracy. Each time you use these powers, the tumor increases in size. There is no telling what might happen. The consequences could be severe."

Having finished his meal, Jeff left the dishes in the sink and headed for his suite. It was time for a talk with his middle son. And Jeff felt ready.

John didn't leave his father's suite until well after 1am. Groggy and spent, he went downstairs to the guest room and tapped on the door. Soon thereafter, Penelope appeared in the doorway wearing a flowing pink nightgown and robe. "John? Are you all right?"

"Exhausted," he replied. "Dad said if you weren't asleep, he'd like you to come see him."

"Very well. First I shall escort you back to your room. I'm not altogether certain you'd make it on your own."

John grunted in reply and allowed her to lead him back up the stairs. He paused at the door to his suite, and turned to look at the woman he knew had stolen his father's heart. "I'm really glad about you and Dad, Pen. I think we all are."

"Thank you, John. I wasn’t quite sure how you boys would take it."

John nodded and yawned. "'Well, no worries. Night, Penny."

"Good night, John. Sleep well."

By the time she arrived in Jeff's room, he was out like a light. She took his shoes and socks off, placing them on the floor next to the bed. The night was warm and balmy, so she covered him only with a sheet. Then she settled in next to him, careful not to wake him. If John were any indication, she knew Jeff must be completely drained. And tomorrow it was Alan's turn. Penny knew Jeff would need all the rest he could get.

He'd confided to her that of all his sons, Alan was the one for whom he was the most concerned. They'd gotten off to a rocky start as father and newborn baby, thanks to the death of Jeff's beloved wife just minutes before Alan's birth. Jeff had shut himself off from everyone, and that included his tiny infant son. Alan would be three before Jeff really got to know him.

And Alan, it seemed, had always struggled to make his dad proud, to gain his attention, as it were. The guilt was hitting Jeff like a ton of bricks. If he did nothing else before he died, he'd told Penelope, he wanted to be absolutely certain that Alan understood he didn't need to prove himself anymore. That what had happened wasn't his fault at all, but Jeff's.

Penny could only imagine how difficult that was going to be.

"Goddammit!" Brains cried as he picked up the Petrie dish and hurled it across the room.

"What's the matter, Brains?" Scott asked, concern etched on his face.

"It didn't work. Did it?"

"No, Virgil. I was so certain. So certain. I have the tools to get in there and extract the artery from the tumor. I can get it out of there. I know I can. The problem is that it's hit his blood already. Even if I'm successful in removing the growth, without a way to send the cancer cells into remission his body will be riddled within months."

"You would be extending his life. Giving him more time for you to find a cure," Scott offered.

"I think you should go ahead with the surgery now."

"But...what if I...fail?"

Virgil laid a hand on the smaller man's left shoulder, while Scott laid a hand on his right.

"You won't fail, Brains. Have a little faith."

"Thanks, Virgil. Do you think we should call them?"

Scott checked his watch. "No, it's still too early there. I say we all get some sleep and talk to them tomorrow."

"You mean later today."

"You know, you geniuses are so picky sometimes."

Virgil chuckled. His hopes were high that at the very least, Brains would be able to extend their father's life for a handful of months. The final test run Brain had done on a simulator not two hours prior had been a resounding success. What bothered him was Brains' doubt in himself. The man had never doubted his own ability. He wasn't conceited by any means, just honest and logical about what he was capable of.

Even with Brains at the helm of the surgery, calculations still showed only a 65% chance of success. Could Virgil, Scott and the others ask Brains to put himself in that position? Would Brains be willing to risk it? There would be others in attendance, the doctors he'd been working with and several nursing staff. But there wasn't anyone they knew of who was well-versed enough both in the machinery Brains had created and in neurology to tackle this operation. No one but Brains.

Removing his glasses, the engineer watched as the brothers left the lab. Have a little faith, Virgil had said. Easy to say when you weren't the one slicing open your father's head.

When the settee rose into the Lounge and clicked into place, Alan just stayed seated for a few minutes. The room was empty. His father had notified him two hours earlier that John was on his way to relieve him. And that as soon as Alan returned home from Thunderbird 5, he wanted to see him in his room right away.

He'd spent less than 24 hours aboard Thunderbird 5 this time, just long enough for his brother to come home, meet with their father and get a good night's sleep in his own bed. Alan himself had slept little in that time as he fought an internal battle in which one side wanted to deny that anything was wrong with his father, instead wishing to almost pretend it was all a bad dream; while the other side had so much he wanted ask his dad, so many questions and issues that had never been addressed from the time he was small.

In the end, logic had won out. Alan realized that if he didn't say everything he wanted to say to his father, if he didn't ask the tough questions and bring up subjects which had to date always been off-limits, he might never get another chance. He rose to his feet and headed for Jeff's suite. Now or never, he thought. The reality of those words was almost ironic. Now. Or never.

He entered the outer door and walked into the sitting room. He could hear his father washing up in the bathroom, and so turned his attention to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase built into the wall on his right. But to his surprise, instead of being filled with books, it held various plaques, knick-knacks and pictures, all having to do either with Jeff or a member of his immediate family in some way.

Alan moved closer to study the objects. How long had it been since he'd actually been in his father's rooms? He couldn't even remember. There was the plaque Jeff had received for the World Entrepreneurial Society's Entrepreneur of the Year award given five years before International Rescue began. And the plaque commemorating Jeff's trip to the Moon years before Alan was even born.

A picture of sixteen-year old Gordon proudly wearing his Olympic gold medal. A photo of Jeff in full astronaut gear along with the other five men and women who'd gone on that mission so long ago. A case containing all of Jeff's awards and medals for his service in the Air Force. A picture of Scott in his Air Force uniform. Virgil in his black cap and grown on Graduation Day from the University of Colorado. John holding a copy of his first published book on astronomy. Alan's grandparents many, many years ago, with Jeff at age ten standing in front of them, taken against the backdrop of the family's farmhouse.

So many memories. Alan had no idea his father had them so prominently on display behind closed doors.

There was a beautiful picture of his mother, a woman he had never known, in a large, gold frame. Just below on the next shelf down was another photo, this one of Lucille holding Virgil and Scott, who couldn't have been more than 1 and 4. Alan reached out to touch his mother, admiring her flowing chestnut hair and high cheekbones, marveling at how she seemed so full of life, a stolen moment in time kept alive by the love of a family for the mother and wife they had lost so tragically.

"She was a beautiful woman," Jeff said quietly.

Alan nodded as his hand came away from the picture. "She sure was." After a moment's silence, he turned to face his father. "Do you miss her?"

"Every day," Jeff replied, looking his son right in the eyes. "Alan, there's a lot I need to say to you."

"There's something I want to tell you first, Dad."

"Okay."

Eyes glistening, Alan allowed himself the luxury of a smile. "Do you remember my first day of kindergarten?"

"It's too risky," Gordon said as he and the others gathered 'round Scott's video portrait. "He's alive now, and he's got another couple of weeks. Why risk taking that away from him?"

"If there's even a chance Dad could be around for a month or two more, I say it's worth the risk," Scott replied.

"Well, no matter what the risks are, ultimately it's going to be up to Jeff to decide."

"You're right, Mrs. Tracy," Penelope said. "But if I know your son, and I think I do, he'll decide to take the chance."

Ruth smiled as she took Penny's hand. "I think you're absolutely right."

"Where is he now?" Virgil asked.

"With Alan," Gordon responded. "Brains...are you...sure about this?"

Brains just stared at Gordon for a few moments. What was he thinking? He could take that man's father away from him if he made just one false move during the surgery. He could take five men's father away from them. And Ruth's son. And Penny's...what, lover?

Brains' silence spoke volumes. "That's what I thought," Gordon said quietly.

"I believe you can do it," came a soft voice from behind. They turned to find Kyrano standing there with Tin-Tin by his side. "I believe you will succeed, Brains."

Gordon eyed Kyrano. He had never really understood the mystical practices of his father's friend, but he had learned over the years of living in close quarters with him to never underestimate any words the older man spoke. When Gordon looked back at the video portrait, and saw Brains nervously adjusting his glasses, he nodded. “Well, then. I guess now it's just up to Dad."

The next eight hours seemed to pass slowly. The island's residents focused on modifications, upgrades, paperwork, housework, tending to the gardens...anything they could to try and keep their minds off the decision Jeff Tracy was soon going to be making.

When at last Alan and Jeff emerged from the suite, both were tired, but upbeat. Surprisingly absent were the bloodshot and puffy eyes everyone had been expecting after the meeting between father and youngest son.

Just as they crossed the threshold into the Lounge, Jeff gasped and his hands flew to cover his ears. He staggered back against the wall as Alan grabbed one of his arms. Gordon was at his other side in an instant, having just come from the elevator in the hall. "Dad!" the young men cried in unison.

Ruth, Penny and Tin-Tin came from the balcony, where they'd been discussing the surgery. "What's happened?" Penny asked as she rushed to Jeff's side.

"Stop...make it stop!" Jeff moaned, doubling over and grinding his hands into his ears.

Tin-Tin raised her watch to her face. "Father! Come quickly!"

Kyrano was at Jeff's side so fast, no one knew for sure quite how he'd gotten there. They backed away as he laid his hands upon Jeff's head and pulled him to his chest. The men sank to the floor, Kyrano closing his eyes, his mouth moving in silence as Jeff's continued moans filled the air. Slowly the tension in his muscles eased. His family watched as he visibly relaxed while Kyrano cradled him like a small child.

As the minutes ticked by, Jeff's breathing slowed, and his hands fell away from his ears. Kyrano opened his eyes, looked down at his friend and smiled. Jeff returned the gesture and slowly, with Gordon's help, rose to his feet. Alan pulled Kyrano up, and they watched as Jeff’s and Kyrano's eyes locked. Jeff swallowed hard and turned to face his loved ones.

"I'm okay, guys."

"What happened?" Ruth asked, her face full of concern.

"I guess it's another ability. When I walked in here, I was hit with so many voices coming at me, it was just...too much."

"Voices?" Penny repeated. "Could you hear us talking out on the balcony?"

"No. Not voices from your mouths. Voices from your minds."

"You can read our minds?" Tin-Tin asked incredulously.

"Not read your minds, per se," Jeff replied. "More like...sense your thoughts. When Alan and I entered the room, you were all thinking about me having surgery. Something new has come up, hasn't it?"

Everyone just stared at him.

"Mother, you’re thinking about the time I insisted I could fix that combine blade. Dad said it was beyond repair, and you were certain I was going to kill myself."

"That's right, Jeff," she whispered as she reached up to touch his face. "But you did it. You almost got sliced to ribbons, but you fixed the damned thing. How did you...?"

Jeff's head turned toward the row of video portraits, where John was watching him with a mixture of concern and awe. "You," Jeff said, going to stand right in front of his son's visage, "you're thinking that you hope I don't find out about your vid collection on Thunderbird 5."

Alan let out a guffaw as John's face paled considerably.

"Don't worry, son, I already know about it." He turned to look at Penelope, who'd just come to stand by his side. "Penny!" he gasped, face turning crimson. She had the grace to blush as Gordon and Alan exchanged a look which could only be translated as "Ewwwwww."

Just then the eyes on Scott's portrait began to blink. Tin-Tin went to Jeff's desk and opened the line.

"Hello, Scott, Virgil. Where's Brains?"

"He's coming, Dad. John just buzzed us and said you had displayed another ability. What is it? Are you all right?"

"Sure, Virgil, I'm fine. But you're worried."

"I...uh..."

"Watch it, Virg," Gordon said. "He can tell what you're thinking."

"He can?" Scott asked.

"No, your brother is not playing a prank on you," Jeff responded to his son's unspoken thought.

Scott just shook his head as Brains appeared in the vid screen with them. "I heard the news, Mr. Tracy. I want a new scan sent to me immediately. Tin-Tin?"

"Come with me, Mr. Tracy. It will only take a few moments."

Jeff followed the young lady out of the Lounge as Virgil asked, "What happened?"

Alan explained the events, then turned to Kyrano. "What exactly did you do to stop the onslaught of our thoughts?"

"I helped him construct what you might call...a wall of sorts. It will help him filter through everything enough to function. Being able to sense the thoughts of others can be difficult to handle."

"He must have been hit like a ton of bricks when he walked in here," Ruth mused.

"Yes," Kyrano nodded. "It is not unlike the ocean. Wave after wave of others' thoughts beat upon your mind like water upon the shore."

"Thanks, Kyrano," Gordon said, and the rest of them nodded their heads in agreement. Kyrano bowed slightly as Gordon turned to the video portrait. "Why'd you ask for another scan, Brains?"

"Every time he has displayed an ability, the size of the tumor has increased dramatically."

"You don't think it's grown again because of this?"

"That is what I need to know, Lady Penelope. For his sake, I hope it hasn't."

Half an hour later, Brains, Virgil and Scott returned to the vid portrait screen, their faces sober. Jeff and Tin-Tin entered the Lounge and walked up to face them.

"It's grown," Jeff announced as he studied Brains' face. "Considerably." Brains could only nod. "How long now?"

"Maybe a week."

"Tell me more about this surgery."

By the time Brains, Virgil and Scott finished explaining what they had in mind, Jeff was convinced it would work. He was unsettled, however, by the unspoken fears projecting from the young engineer who was going to be in charge of the surgical procedure should Jeff decide to go through with it.

"I need to speak to Brains alone," he said. "Call my sitting room in three minutes."

With that, he strode out of the room, and Brains left the viewing area of the vid portrait.

"Wonder what that's about?"

"Who knows, Scott? With Dad being able to read minds, it could mean anything."

"He probably picked up on the fact that Brains is nervous as hell."

"Wouldn't you be?" Penny asked. "Just imagine what it will be like for him if something goes wrong."

The room fell silent as everyone contemplated exactly that.

Right on cue the vidphone sitting on the small desk in Jeff's sitting room signaled in incoming call. He opened the line to find Brains before him, sans glasses. "You really should get that laser eye surgery, Brains," Jeff said amicably. "Hell, you could probably perform it on yourself."

"I like my glasses too much," he replied, resettling them on his nose.

"Don't you think it's time you stop hiding behind them?"

"I'm not--" Brains began, then his shoulders sagged. "I don't know if I can do this, Mr. Tracy."

"Brains, if anyone can, it's you. I have faith in you. And...you don't doubt your ability to successfully carry out the procedure, yet...you don't have faith to in yourself to actually succeed. I don't understand."

"There are so many variables. The tumor is larger, which will actually make extraction of it from the artery a bit easier. I would say the chances of success have risen to at least seventy percent."

"Then what is it, Brains?"

"Can't you tell?"

Jeff stared at him. "Yes. It's me. You don't want to kill me." Brains nodded. "But Brains, I'm going to die from this anyway. What you're doing by performing this procedure is the same thing you've always done...try to turn certain death into a fighting chance to live. It's your mind and abilities that have saved us all on countless occasions."

"What if I can't save you?" he whispered. "What if I...?"

"You're thinking that you couldn't live with yourself if I died or became brain damaged as a result of what you're going to attempt. But could you live with yourself if I died next week, knowing you didn't even try?"

That got Brains' attention. Jeff was right. Living with the guilt of knowing he’d done nothing would be a hundred times worse than trying and failing.

"How soon can you be ready for me?"

"Within 72 hours, Mr. Tracy."

"Then it's settled. I'll go let the others know. And Brains?"

"Yes?"

"I'll make you a deal. If I come out of this with flying colors, which I'm sure I will, you'll get that laser surgery and get rid of those goddamned glasses."

Brains smiled. "It's a deal."

"I'll be there tomorrow. I still need to meet with Scott and Virgil." Brains nodded. "And you."

"Me?"

"You are a member of this family, are you not?"

"I...I, uh...I don't...uh..."

"Don't start stuttering again on my account. I'll see you tomorrow. Jeff Tracy out."

It was nearly midnight on Tracy Island. As Jeff and Penny slept soundly in his bed, thousands of miles away someone they hadn't given a thought to in months laughed as beaded curtains swished closed under the guidance of his hands. From the center of the cavernous room that made up a large portion of his grand and garish stone temple, Belah Gaat watched as the statue of his half-brother was covered once more.

At last International Rescue, and all their technology, was within his grasp. His foolish brother had confirmed what Belah himself had sensed. The leader of International Rescue, a man who had become Belah's hated enemy over the years, was dying. And as a result of the tumor deep within his brain, Jefferson Tracy's mind was now even more open to the Hood than Kyrano's.

Eyes nearly glowing with excitement, Belah retreated to his meditation chamber, seated himself cross-legged on the bare wood floor, and closed his eyes. "Jefferson Tracy," he intoned. "You are no match for the power of my mind. Hear me now, Tracy. Hear me and speak."

Penny awoke to the distinct sensation that something was wrong. She turned on the night stand lamp and rolled over to face Jeff. His head was moving from side to side, and he was moaning softly. His lips moved, but no words came forth. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead; his fists clenched the comforter tightly.

"Jeff?"

His only response was to moan even louder.

"Jeff," she repeated, shaking him.

"No...won't...tell...you...!"

"Tell me what?"

"No...won't...tell...no...Hood..."

"Hood?" Penny shrieked. "Jeff, for God's sake, wake up!" She shook him even harder, but she may as well not have existed.

Suddenly he roared in pain and his words became incoherent.

"Gods! Jeff!" Penny grabbed her watch and cried, "Kyrano! Help me! Please!"

Minutes later Kyrano flew into the suite, his long, gray robes fluttering behind him in the breeze he created. He climbed atop Jeff, straddling his body, and laid his hands upon his head. Jeff began to struggle, his arms and legs flailing as his mind fought the battle within.

"Hold him!"

Penny nodded and did the best she could, but she was no match for the strength in Jeff's limbs as he fought against his invisible intruder.

"No...base...won't...no..."

"Jeff, don't tell him, please don't tell him anything!"

Sweat poured down Kyrano's face as it twisted in pain. All at once he cried out, "No!" as Jeff suddenly regained consciousness. Their eyes locked and Penny watched in fright as they silently mouthed words that didn't seem to be in English. Then they both stiffened and lost consciousness, Jeff falling back on the bed, Kyrano going limp right on top of him.

Watch still in hand, Penny raised it to her face. "Alan! Gordon! Come quickly!"

Within a minute, Alan and Gordon arrived on the scene. "What happened?" Gordon asked as he and Alan moved Kyrano off their father to the other side of the bed.

Penelope explained what she'd seen and heard.

"He said the Hood's name?" Alan asked. She nodded.

"And he said...base?"

"Yes, Gordon."

"Oh, no," Alan whispered, the look of horror on his face mirroring that of his brother's. "You don't suppose...he couldn't have told the Hood where we are. Could he?"

Penny's face paled. "Oh, my God."

A low, rumbling laugh echoed through the large hangar as Belah turned on the overhead lights. Before him sat an aircraft the size of a Navy fighter. It was a brand new design created by his own group of scientists and engineers. Made of a metal that was nearly impervious to traditional firepower, it was safe, quick, and highly maneuverable.

But most of all, it was armed to the teeth.

He could have rounded up enough jets for his intended attack upon the base of International Rescue to make Pearl Harbor look like a child's backyard game, but Belah wanted to do this himself. He would not need assistance to take over the organization he'd been hell bent on destroying for nearly seven years. And when those fools were all dead, their secrets and their technology would be his and his alone.

"I have waited a long time for this day," he said as he climbed into the cockpit. “A very long time.”

Kyrano and Jeff had been moved to the Hospital Ward, where they remained unconscious under Ruth's watchful eye. Knowing they had to assume the worst, Alan and Gordon had contacted all three of their brothers, and together the men knew what they had to do.

Tracy Island immediately went to High Alert Status. There were always contingency plans in any military organization, and International Rescue was run no differently. Tracy Island was in lockdown. Communications in or out were banned completely, with one coded emergency contact line remaining active.

John monitored air and sea traffic from Thunderbird 5, while Alan did the same from the Lounge. Penelope and Tin-Tin had gone with Gordon to the Cliff House which, whenever HAS was in place, became the base's Defense Control. Gordon and Tin-Tin knew how to use the island's weaponry systems, and quickly taught Penny some basic functionality.

Not only were communications shut off, but no one was allowed to arrive or leave. Their father's orders were clear. If Tracy Island were ever under attack, anyone who wasn't there when it happened was to stay away, no matter what.

That left Scott, Virgil and Brains stewing in a hospital conference room in Sydney. Virgil watched as the vein in Scott's temple throbbed mercilessly. "Stop fretting, Scott. There's nothing we can do."

"The hell there isn't!" he bellowed. "If what Alan says is true, the Hood could be on his way to attack the island!"

"Father's orders are clear, Scott."

"To hell with his orders!" Scott fumed. "I'm not just going to sit here and let them die. Are you?"

Brains approached the brothers, his face a mask of calm. "Tracy Two doesn't have much in the way of weaponry," he reminded them. "We can't defend Base with that. What can we do?"

A look of steely determination settling onto his face, Scott was halfway out the door as he replied, "Find something that can defend Base."

Like a shot, Virgil and Brains were right behind him. "Where are we going?" Virgil asked as they ran down the hall toward an exit.

"Riley Air Force Base," Scott replied, hitting the red emergency door full-force. "Dad's got a friend there who owes us."

Alan's eyes zeroed in on the blip that appeared at the far outer edge of the radar screen. He punched several keys on the computer, his frown deepening with each returned display. A coded signal appeared in a small window on the upper right corner of the monitor on his father's desk.

Incoming craft. Unable to identify. Does not respond to hails.

"Shit." He opened a channel that would echo throughout the island. "We have a bogey at nine o'clock. Unable to identify aircraft. Not responding to hails from Thunderbird 5. Target is solitary, flying at 1-2-4-5 miles-per-hour. Height, eight thousand forty-two feet and descending. Range, ninety-two miles. Report status!"

"Hospital Ward is locked down," came Ruth's voice through the speakers.

"Defense Control is a green," Gordon said. "All hands reporting ready."

"F.A.B.," Alan replied. "Grandma, is Dad awake yet?"

"No, Alan. They're both still out like a light."

"All right, then. Since they're not able to tell us more than what we already know, and since John can't get this aircraft to respond, if it doesn't change course in the next ten minutes, we are going to assume Base is under attack. Get ready."

As Alan closed the channel, he wiped beads of sweat from his brow. Never before had Tracy Island been on HAS. It was all theoretical. Sure, they'd practiced it in drills, but it had always been his father, Scott or John in control. He watched the green blip moving ever nearer the island. Jeff wasn't here. Scott wasn't here. John wasn't here. That left Alan to make all the decisions.

What if I fuck it up? he thought as the blip moved closer yet. What if I make a mistake and we all die?

He remembered back to the talk he had with his father the day before. He had confided some insecurities as to his ability to take over Thunderbird 1 after his father's death. He didn't believe he could lead like Scott could, that he could make those kinds of snap decisions that were naturally a part of being the first one on-scene, and of manning Mobile Control. What was it his dad had said?

You are more than capable, son. Just because you're not my firstborn doesn't mean you're not a leader.

"You're right, Dad," Alan said aloud, the look of honest truth on his father's face coming to his mind's eye. "I can do this." He nodded his head and sat up straight in the chair. "I can and I will." Opening the island-wide channel, he said, "Aircraft still on same course and heading. Prepare for attack."

"Alan is a sitting duck," Tin-Tin said, her voice strained. "If that aircraft fires on the house, he won't survive."

"Tin-Tin!" Gordon turned excitedly in his chair to face her. "Wasn't Brains working on some sort of shield system for the island?"

"Yes! But it's not been tested."

"I can't think of any better time than the present. If it fails, we won't be any worse off than we are now."

"What sort of shield system?" Penny asked.

"You see," Tin-Tin began as she came to stand next to Penny's console, "there are small devices we've planted throughout the island. We were going to test it while Mr. Tracy was visiting you, and surprise him with it upon his return."

"What do the devices do exactly?"

"If they work as predicted, Gordon," she replied as her fingers began flying across the keyboard, "once you bring the system on line, a signal activates each device. They produce a network of ionized electrons, which project into the air. Positive and negative naturally attract, and that's when the shield mechanism kicks in. This new compound Brains developed, he calls it S-13, it releases from the devices and attaches itself to the bond created between the electrons. The ionization causes the exterior of the molecules to almost solidify, theoretically making penetration impossible."

"That's a trifle too complex for me to grasp," Penny admitted.

Tin-Tin smiled as the program came on line.

"What about our missiles? Can they get out?"

"Yes, Penelope, they can. Theoretically, of course."

Gordon watched as she brought the system on line. "Think it'll work?"

"I hope so. For all our sakes."

The Hood looked out the cockpit window. So far all he could see was the vast South Pacific stretching to the horizon. But he knew that somewhere in the middle of the dark blue waters, the base of International Rescue was just waiting for him. His scanners showed something about sixty-five miles ahead, something that looked like it might be an island of some sort. About twenty miles east of that, was another smaller island. He checked the coordinates of both. The larger one was closer to what he'd gotten from Jeff Tracy during their connection.

"There you are," he growled, an evil smile appearing on his face. "Are you ready for me, International Rescue?"

Alan waited. Gordon had told him of their plan to try Brains' new shielding system. Less than five minutes later, the light outside seemed to shimmer, and then a faint humming sound could be heard.

"It's up," Gordon announced.

Alan looked out the wall of windows where he could actually see a faint pinkish glow had surrounded them. He knew his brothers must be going crazy having to wait it out off-island, and wished for the tenth time that they were there. The green blip on the radar screen was coming closer...closer...closer. Alan closed his eyes. He'd said what he needed to say to his father. And he and Gordon were close...he was confident Gordon knew how he felt.

But what of Tin-Tin? Would he ever get the chance to find out if she was just toying with him, or if she really wanted him? And Grandma. She'd been his mother, for the most part, as he was growing up. He had never thanked her for everything she'd done. Then there was Kyrano, Tin-Tin's mysterious father, a man Alan had never been quite comfortable around. But he had helped Alan on more than one occasion, and now Alan didn't know if he'd ever be able to thank him for it.

Most of all what made him sick was the idea that he'd never see Scott, Virgil or Brains again. He and Brains had always gotten along very well. Their minds worked in much the same way. Alan's mildly genius IQ sometimes made his leaps in logic difficult for others to grasp, at best. But with Brains, he could really let his mind go, take those leaps and know they would be instantaneously accepted.

Then there was Virgil. The man with a heart as big as the island itself. More than once, Virgil had seen to it that Alan calmly and clearly thought things through before acting. Al's impulsiveness had gotten him into trouble often. Through Virgil, he had begun to learn the value of thinking before he acted. And in those rare instances where he hadn't, Virgil had never judged him, using the situation instead to point out what he might have done differently. Teased him mercilessly? Yes, of course. After all, what were big brothers for? But never judged.

And Scott. A father in many of the ways Jeff had never been able to be, especially during Alan's early years. Who had dried his tears when he cried? Scott. Who had stayed with him through every illness he'd suffered as a child, no matter what? Scott. Who had taught him to be strong, to never let anything get him down? Who had he depended on his whole life? Scott. His oldest brother, often the one who was hardest on him, meant so much more to him than he'd ever let on.

The blip came closer. "If I fail," he said quietly, wishing Scott could hear him, "I'm going to make sure that you're proud of the fact that I tried." He turned and tapped a coded message to John up in Thunderbird 5. Wish us luck. John's reply, when it came, made Alan smile.

You don't need luck. You're a Tracy.

Virgil, Scott and Brains soon found themselves standing before Colonel Tim Casey in his office on Riley Air Force Base in Northern California. They'd no idea whether Casey would help them, but Scott knew he had one or two cards to play that would probably get them what they needed.

Water mambas notwithstanding, Casey owed International Rescue for having uncovered the plot behind the failure of the Red Arrow program, and the deaths of innocent pilots. Only weeks away from retirement, the colonel was quite surprised to receive an unannounced visit from two of his old friend's sons and the engineer he knew lived with them on that island of theirs.

"Colonel Casey, I can't give you the details, but we need three of your best fighters."

"I don't know, Scott. We can't just let those babies go without a good reason. They can do an awful lot of damage."

"Do you remember what happened with your Red Arrows?"

"Sure I do. How could I forget?"

"Let's just say this is a way for you to pay back the ones who figured out what was going on."

Tim frowned. "International Rescue?"

Virgil nodded. "That's all we can tell you. Will you help us?"

Colonel Casey eyed the men who stood before him. They were determined, and he trusted that Jeff's eldest sons had level heads on their shoulders. Still, this was an awfully big favor to ask. "Does your father know you're here asking me this?"

"No, Colonel," Scott replied gravely. "But his life may very well depend on your answer."

Casey sighed. "All right. I suppose getting decommissioned two weeks before retirement wouldn't be the end of the world. Our best are in Hangar 3G." He walked over to a safe, ran through a complex series of letters and numbers to unlock it, and pulled out a small booklet. Thumbing through it, he finally found the page he wanted and ripped it out. "Here're the codes you'll need to get in. I'll see to it the Control Tower lets you take off."

"Thanks, Colonel," Scott said, shaking his hand. "You may have just had a hand in saving the world."

For if the Hood gained use of International Rescue's technology, there was no telling the horror he would inflict upon Earth's inhabitants. Brains, Scott, Virgil, and the island's own defense systems were all that stood in the way of what could turn out to be certain doom for all if they were to fail.

As the men raced out of Tim's office, he contacted the control tower and ordered them to allow the three Alpha jets to depart without impedance. Leaning back in his chair, he contemplated what little information the Tracys had given him. Apparently Jeff's life was in danger. And they'd indicated this could be his way of paying International Rescue back for what they'd done during Red Arrow. But how on earth could Jeff Tracy's life be connected to International Rescue?

Tim's eyes widened as he rose to his feet. "It couldn't be. Jeff Tracy, you rascal!"

"Alpha One to Alpha Two. ETA to Base now twenty-five minutes."

"F.A.B., Alpha One. Alpha Three, acknowledge."

"Alpha Two and Alpha One from Alpha Three. F.A.B."

Scott felt like a cowboy back in the saddle. He hadn't flown an Air Force combat jet in years, but the controls, though newer and slightly different, responded easily to his expert touch. As the three sleek jets raced toward Tracy Island, Scott recalled their encounter with his father's old friend, Colonel Tim Casey and knew the man must've put two and two together by now. But he reasoned that desperate times called for desperate measures.

As much as his father had wanted to keep Casey in the dark during his visit to the island before, Scott knew he'd done the right thing. Casey was a military man. He was used to keeping his mouth shut. Besides, he had no evidence really that would back up his theory. Still, he could almost hear Jeff's voice when he eventually found out what they'd done and precisely how they'd done it.

Nothing is worth risking International Rescue's security, Scott! Nothing!

"Your life is, Dad," he whispered as he banked the jet. "Your life is."

"Ah. Target in sight," the Hood said as a dark speck appeared on the horizon. "Hello, Jeff Tracy."

He slowed a little as the speck turned into what looked like nothing more than a brown hunk of rock. The closer he got, the more he felt victory within his grasp. “There is no way I can lose," he said, grinning as his hand closed around the firing mechanism in front of him.

Alan opened the island-wide channel. "He's almost here, everyone. Grandma? Dad come around yet?"

"No, Alan, I'm sorry. He and Kyrano are both still unconscious."

"All right, Grandma. Activate Containment. If nothing else, you, Dad and Kyrano will remain safe."

"Alan?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Grandma. Gordon? How are things there?"

"Still green. We're ready for him."

"F.A.B. Remember, don't fire unless he fires first. I'll give the order."

"F.A.B."

Alan watched as the blip closed in on them. He rose from his father's desk and went out to stand on the balcony. He could see the jet approaching. Adrenaline raced through his veins and he suddenly wished he were in Thunderbird 1 preparing to defend his home from the sky instead of sitting here in the villa like a big red bulls eye in the middle of a target.

But that didn't make any sense. Thunderbird 1 didn't have any sort of shielding. It simply hadn't been built to withstand air combat. He was much more use to his family down here on the island. Besides, with any luck, Brains' shielding would work. With any luck, maybe this really wasn't the Hood, just a stray jet who happened to be flying nearby. With any luck, Alan and the others weren't facing death. But then he was reminded of what John had said.

You don't need luck. You're a Tracy.

"Goddamn right I am," he said as he returned to the desk and let his finger hover over the weapon controls. "I'd like nothing better than to take you out for good, you bastard." He laughed out loud as he recalled a movie he and Gordon had once seen in an oldies theater during their high school years. "You want a fight, Hood? Go ahead. Make my day."

"I'm picking up a bogey on my scanners, Scott."

"F.A.B., I see it."

"Then they were right. The Hood is preparing to attack."

"Looks like it, Brains. But he seems to be alone."

"All the better. Think the old Triangle will work?"

"You bet, Virg. All right, I'll take Point, Alpha Two, you take the left flank, Alpha Three on right."

"F.A.B.," Virgil and Brains replied.

"We'll be on him in ten minutes. Wait for my mark."

An alarm blared from Alan's monitor as the Hood fired a missile. "Incoming!" he cried into the microphone. "Brace for impact!" The next words Alan uttered could, if Brains' shield system didn't work right, kill them almost instantly. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Defense Control, fire!"

He could hear the missile's whine as it closed in on them. Then he heard three missiles launch from the top of the island's mountain. Exhaling as he realized they'd cleared the shield, he jabbed his finger down onto the red button in front of him, and a fourth missile launched from beneath the greenery on the far side of the pool.

The Hood jerked his jet into a nearly vertical ascent, but these were heat-seeking missiles, and they followed the trail of his afterburners. Alan's missile slammed into one Gordon had launched, and there was a deafening explosion as they collided. The other two kept on Belah's tail as the Hood's missile headed straight for the villa.

Alan braced himself and watched it grow nearer. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and he realized it was true what they said about the moments just before death. Your life really did pass before your eyes. "Shit," he whispered, and closed his eyes.

The explosion sent unsecured items rattling from their shelves throughout the house and hangars. Alan whooped with joy and shouted, "Shields are holding!"

The Hood cursed as he flipped his jet in crazy maneuvers, trying to rid himself of the missiles on his tail. He climbed to nearly twenty thousand feet before bringing her around so that her nose was at a thirty degree angle to the ground far below. The only way to shake them was to cut his engines. Reaching out, he flipped the switch that did just that.

Freefalling toward the earth at nearly fifteen hundred miles per hour, the Hood waited patiently as the ocean became larger and larger through his windows. "Ten thousand feet," he said as he kept one eye on his height meter. "Eight thousand. Seven thousand. Six thousand. Five thousand. Four thousand. Now!" He flipped the switch again and the jet's engines sputtered, then roared to life. He yanked back the steering yoke and the plane barely cleared the water's surface.

The missiles, unable to turn as quickly as their target, plummeted into the shield surrounding Tracy Island. They detonated and the island shook as though hit by an earthquake. The Hood laughed as he turned and came back for another pass. It was only then that he realized three blips had appeared on his radar.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Alpha One to Alpha Two and Three. Hit the Triangle on my mark." The airwaves were silent, tension so thick you could almost see it. Finally Scott said, "Mark!"

The three jets fanned out, with Brains and Virgil covering the Hood's right and left flanks. Scott raced to get in front of him, the end result being that they were flying in a triangle formation with the Hood's jet at dead center. Machine gun fire rang out from a turret on the larger jet's belly.

"Brains! Get out of the way, he's on to you!" Scott yelled.

They heard Brains curse as he veered sharply to the right. Bullets pelted his tail section, and smoke began to billow out.

"Alpha Three, eject! Repeat, eject!"

"F.A.B.!" they heard Brains reply. But Scott and Virgil didn't have time to make sure Brains had really gotten out. They were trying to stay out of the way of the Hood's weapons, while at the same time lead him as far away from Tracy Island as they could.

"I'll draw his fire, Virg! You come in from the top and unload on him!"

"F.A.B.! Go, Scott!"

Scott circled the Hood and came down right in front of their enemy. When the Hood turned his jet to follow, Virgil swooped in from above. "Take that, you sonofabitch!" he growled as his finger squeezed the trigger.

The Hood headed into a nosedive, bullets pelting his left wing. He circled around and headed back for the island. Things weren't going as he had planned, but he still had confidence in his ability to defeat International Rescue, in spite of these Air Force jets who were trying to get in his way. Smiling, he fired his last missile. It headed straight for Tracy Villa.

"Gordon! The shields won't hold! The heat from the explosions is causing the electron bonds to destabilize!"

"Oh, God. Alan! Alan, come in!"

"What is it, Gordo?"

"I don't think these shields will withstand another--"

"Brace yourselves! Incoming!"

"No," Penny breathed as she watched the screen in front of her. The pink glow surrounding the image of the island was slowly dissolving as the shield system failed. "What are we going to do?"

Alan's voice came over the speakers. "Fire!"

Gordon and Tin-Tin slammed down on their control panels.

"Defense Control, take cover! I repeat, take cover!"

Alan rose to his feet and watched as the two Air Force jets came together and faced down the Hood. He'd seen one jet crash into the ocean. The moment they'd appeared, he knew it had to be Scott, Virgil and Brains going against Jeff's standing orders not to come near if the base was under attack. He'd silently cheered them, and his heart had filled with sorrow when the one jet had crashed. He'd no idea who was aboard. There just hadn't been time to try and contact any of them.

The fighter jets fired two missiles in tandem. In a flash of white, the Hood's jet exploded into a ball of flames as his last missile closed in on the house.

Alan reached down and reactivated the island's external communications system. Pressing a button, he said, "Scott, Virgil, Brains, if that's you out there, I just wanna say...goodbye."

"Not just yet, son," came a booming voice from across the room.

Alan whipped around to find Jeff running in from the hall. "Dad!"

He could only watch as his father raced out onto the balcony and down the steps, running to stand on the beach at the water's edge. He looked up at the incoming missile, and held his hands before him, palms facing away. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to concentrate on the power he knew he had within him. Memories flashed before him like friends coming to his aid, giving him the strength he needed to draw from the very depths of his soul for this, almost assuredly his final act.

Repel. Repel. Repel.

The beauty of the Moon as he bounced along its white surface.

The missile came nearer.

The angelic glow surrounding Lucille as Gordon was born.

Repel. Repel. Repel.

The sun glinting off Thunderbird 1's silver body as it rose into the sky from beneath the pool.

The missile came nearer.

His mother holding him after he'd broken his arm at age eight.

Repel. Repel. Repel.

Penelope beneath him as they made love for the first time.

The missile came nearer.

Jeff's body began to shake as his strength started to wane.

Repel. Repel. Repel.

He cried out in agony. His brain felt like it was going to explode. But he just kept repeating it. It was the only thing he could do.

Repel. Repel. Repel.

Alan watched from the balcony as the missile, now less than a quarter mile away, seemed to slow and then suddenly exploded. The shockwave threw him back into the windows as he heard his father scream.

"Alan! Alan, what's going on down there! Report!"

"Scott, what happened? Did the missile hit?"

"No, I don't think so. It looks like it just blew in mid-air! I can't raise anyone!"

"Dammit! Where's Brains?"

"There!" Scott cried as he caught site of the engineer swimming toward the island. "He made it! Virg, can you land that thing on the runway?"

"Yeah, I think so. What are you going to do?"

"We won't both be able to land. I'm going to ditch. Get down there and find out what's going on."

"Be careful, Scott."

"F.A.B."

Virgil circled the island and came in for a landing. The runway wasn't as long as he really needed, but if he cut the engines at just the right time, he should be able to stop the jet before she crashed into the cliff.

Scott programmed the auto pilot for his jet to hit the water. He made sure his parachute was strapped on tightly, turned on the autopilot, and hit the Eject button. The top of the cockpit blew off, and the pilot's seat rocketed from the plane, sending Scott miles into the air. He waited a few seconds, then pulled at the rip cord. His parachute released and unfolded, and he watched as the jet dove into the ocean. Moments later, he heard the boom of it exploding and watched as a mushroom of water rose into the air before splashing back down.

Damn. Colonel Casey's going to be pissed.

Having successfully landed his jet, Virgil jumped down from the cockpit and raced along the beach. He could hear his father's cries, prompting him to sprint the rest of the way. Dropping to his knees, he tried to grab Jeff's arms as his father writhed and lashed out, alternately holding his head and beating on Virgil's chest.

"Dad! Dad, Jesus Christ, what happened? Dad! Dammit!" Virgil searched his father's pockets for the medicine he'd kept on him since returning from Australia, but could find nothing. Over the sounds of his father's pain, he heard a voice yelling his name and looked up to find Gordon and Ruth kneeling next to an unconscious Alan on the balcony while Penelope and Tin-Tin flew down the stairs.

"What's wrong with him, Virgil? What happened?"

"I don't know! Where're his meds?"

"Oh, gods, they're probably in the Ward! That's where he was when the Hood attacked!"

"Virgil!"

"Scott! Over here, quick! It's Dad!"

Scott loped up to them and knelt next to his father. "What happened?"

"We don't know. Alan's unconscious, from the look of it, and Dad’s in a lot of pain."

Scott grabbed his father's body and dropped to his butt in the sand as he pulled Jeff against him. Virgil crouched on top of Jeff's legs and grabbed his hands.

"That last missile," Virgil said. "It was headed straight for the house."

"Dad must've been the one who stopped it," Scott breathed as his arms tightened around his father's torso.

"The tumor," Penelope said, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh, no."

"Scott! Virgil!"

"Brains!" Penny waved him over. "Quickly! It's Jeff!"

Dripping wet, it only took a few seconds for Brains to understand what was happening. "Get him into Thunderbird 1 now! We have to get him back to Sydney!"

"But shouldn't we get his medicine?"

"There's no time, Penelope! He's going to die!"

Ruth didn't know who was doing more pacing, Gordon, Scott or Virgil. It occurred to her that hospital waiting rooms must have amazingly strong flooring for all the pacing done by family members waiting to find out the fate of their loved ones.

For her part, she was completely drained. When at last she'd succeeded in rousing her son in the Hospital Ward back on the island, she'd barely gotten two sentences out about what was happening before Jeff had unsealed the Containment chamber surrounding the Ward and taken off for the Lounge at lightning speed. She wasn't a spring chicken by any means, and trying to run after him, then finding Alan unconscious and watching Jeff quite possibly dying before her eyes, had taken their toll.

Scott and Brains had ferried Jeff and Alan to the hospital in Sydney aboard Thunderbird 1, while Virgil, Gordon, Tin-Tin and Ruth had brought an unconscious Kyrano along in Thunderbird 2. Now Alan and Kyrano were both fully awake. Though Alan had suffered a mild concussion, he would be fine in a few days, and Kyrano seemed no worse for the wear. He remained in the hospital room to which he'd been admitted, his mind reaching out as his friend went under the knife.

No one knew whether Jeff would live or die. En route to Sydney, Brains had explained to Scott that if the tumor had increased as much as he feared as a result of Jeff destroying the missile, it could have damaged other more vital portions of his brain. Now, even if Brains could get the tumor out and leave the artery connecting it to the brathalamus intact, there was no guarantee that Jeff wouldn't either die or emerge from the procedure as a vegetable.

Tin-Tin stayed at Alan's bedside while Penelope sat alone in the front pew of the hospital's chapel. She had never been a religious woman, to be sure, but right now Jeff needed all the positive energy the Universe could give him. And if that could come from prayer, she was willing to give it a try. Besides, right now she just couldn't handle being near the rest of the family. The boys were driving her crazy with their pacing, and the fear on their faces reflected her own with such agonizing clarity that she couldn't bear to look at them.

"Please bring Jeff back to us," she whispered as she stared at the Christ figure hanging from a cross above the altar. "If you're really up there watching over us, please don't let him die. We need him. We all need him."

THIRTEEN HOURS LATER...

"Scott? Wake up."

Scott jumped to his feet and grabbed Brains by the shoulders. "How is he? Are you done? Is he alive?"

Dark circles framed Brains' eyes beneath the thick lenses of his glasses as he looked into Scott's eyes. "His vitals are good, Scott. They're treating him in Post-Op."

"Will he live?" Scott asked slowly, his grip on Brains' shoulders tightening.

"I believe so. But we won't know if he made it through with everything intact until he regains consciousness." Scott's hands dropped to his sides. "It had nearly tripled in size, Scott. I barely got in there in time. I don't...I'm not really sure...I just don't know how that will affect him."

"Well, however it comes out, Brains, thank you for trying."

Brains nodded tiredly as he took in the various sleeping forms scattered throughout the waiting room. "Should we wake them?"

"No, let them sleep. There's nothing they can do right now but worry anyway."

"I have to get back in there to monitor his brain's electrical activity."

"I'm coming with you."

The room within the hospital's Intensive Care ward buzzed with activity. As the hours passed, though, hospital personnel trickled away one by one until at last Scott and Brains were the only ones left. Scott watched the engineer intently as he reviewed the latest images from the mobile scanning unit around Jeff's head. He stiffened as a strange look passed over Brains' face.

"What is it?"

"I don't know for sure. The activity in his temporal lobe is increasing exponentially. It's almost off the scale!"

"English, Brains! What does that mean?" he demanded, rising to his feet.

Brains tapped several commands into the keyboard and the image of Jeff's brain changed, zooming in on one particular portion. Scott saw thousands of tiny lines intertwining on the image, and all of them were blinking red.

"I can't be sure, Scott. I've got to get the neurosurgeons back in here."

Before he could even cross the room, a sound that marked the beginning of every physician's worst nightmare rang through the air. Whipping around to face the bed, Brains watched as Jeff's body started convulsing. "No," he breathed, running back to the bed and watching the life sign monitor. "No!"

"What's happening? Brains, please!"

The engineer slammed his hand into the emergency button on the wall. Scott could hear a voice echo through the hall outside.

Staff to IC-8, Code Blue. Repeat, IC-8, Code Blue.

Scott's jaw dropped as he stared at his father's body seizing before him. His mind reeled back to the day he'd been standing in a room very much like this one, looking upon the body of his dead mother. Then, he'd only been eight years old, and he'd seen a sight no child should ever have to witness.

The memory sucker-punched him right in the gut. Air whooshed from his lungs as bile rose in his throat and threatened to erupt. Doctors and nurses raced into the room and pushed him back against the wall, out of the way.

His mother's body. No life. Dead. She would never move again.

Darkness seemed to close around his vision as his view of his father was blocked by medical personnel.

"Dad," he whispered in horror.

Flatline. Someone had forgotten to turn the machine off after she'd died. They'd just left her there and moved on to take care of baby Alan.

Flatline. His eyes moved to the straight green line on the wall monitor above the bed. It meant death. It meant...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...it meant gone. It meant loss.

"Dad."

His vision blurred. He didn't realize it was because tears had filled his eyes. Scott sagged against the wall as their voices came to him.

Where's Scott? Scotty! Scotty, where are you?

What are you doing in here, young man?

Looking for my brother, Scott.

Well, I don't think there's anyone in the broom closet. What say we go find your family?

But I gotta find Scotty!

Come along.

"Try reverse electrical stimulation!" Dr. Rawlings yelled above the din.

"We have to get his heart started!"

"I'm losing anything resembling a BP here, guys!"

"No. Dad. Not you, too."

Come on, Scott. It's time to go home.

No, Grandma. Not without Mom.

She can't come with us right now, honey. Now take my hand and come along. Virgil's been looking for you.

Virgie? Is he okay?

Yes. All your brothers are fine. And you have a new baby brother, too.

Where's Dad?

He's on his way, Scott. Now come along.

Mom...

Suddenly a new sound broke through his reverie.

BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

"I've got a beat!"

Scott came back to his senses and rose to his full height trying to see around the doctors. He felt a glimmer of hope.

"Brainwave activity returning to normal levels!"

"Pulse is strong and steady!"

"Blood pressure rising."

A mist appeared before Scott's eyes. It was only then that he realized he'd forgotten to breathe. Gulping air into his lungs, his heart raced as Brains went from one monitor to another, as the nurses and doctors visibly relaxed.

"Brains?"

The engineer turned to look at him, a smile upon his face. All he did was nod in Scott's direction, but that was all Scott needed. The adrenaline left his body and he sank into a nearby chair. He felt something wet on his cheeks and was surprised to find it was his own tears. Quickly wiping them away on his sleeve, he buried his face in his hands for a few moments and quietly regained his composure.

Thank God. Oh, thank God.

Night passed into day as the sun came over the horizon. Brains and Scott had both fallen asleep in their chairs near Jeff's bed. The doctors weren't letting anyone else in the room, much to the family's consternation. It was against policy that Scott was in there to begin with, but Virgil's warnings of potential bodily harm from his older brother if they tried to remove him changed the doctors' minds about actually attempting to do so.

Scott moved in the chair and his hand fell from his lap, jolting him awake. He stifled a yawn as his brain woke up and remembered where he was and why exactly he was there. Rising to his feet, he stretched his back and legs as he walked to his father's bedside. Something caught his attention, and his eyes snapped down to Jeff's right hand. He could've sworn he saw movement.

He stared at the hand lying limply upon the bed, willing it to move. "Come on, Dad," he whispered, reaching out and grabbing his father's hand.

Nothing happened for long moments. The sound of Scott's voice woke Brains, who stayed still and watched from the other side of the bed. Scott's other hand covered the top of his father's, forming a cocoon around it as he squeezed slightly. "I know I saw you move. Do it again, Dad."

They waited. The seconds ticked by like grains of sand dropping one-by-one through an hourglass. Time became something Scott was acutely aware of as he knelt next to the bed and looked into his father's face. "Please, Dad. Show me you're okay."

Scott gasped as his father's hand tightened around his own. Slowly Jeff's eyelids began to flutter. "Yes, Dad. That's it. You can do it."

Brains straightened in his chair, his eyes wide. He held his breath. Even if Jeff regained consciousness, would he still be...Jeff?

His mouth opened, then closed again. Finally his eyelids stopped fluttering and remained open. He turned to look at the face of his eldest son, only inches from his own.

"Can you hear me, Dad? Do you know who I am?"

Jeff blinked and squeezed his son's hand, then pulled his arm and hand away. He rested his palm on his son’s cheek and half-smiled. "Scott."

"Mr. Tracy!" Brains said, leaping to his feet.

"Brains," Jeff whispered, his voice cracking. "Looks like you're getting laser eye surgery."

Scott let out a smiling half-sob and grabbed his father's hand again, pressing it into the side of his face. "Dad. You're going to be all right."

"Damn straight," Jeff sighed as his eyes closed. His thoughts were slightly muddied, and he couldn't remember having gotten to the hospital he now found himself in, but he could feel that he was going to make it. His last thoughts as he drifted to sleep made him smile. They won't have to go on without me just yet. And if I have anything to do with it, they won't for a long while.

“Rest now, Mr. Tracy. Just rest.”

Guess I won’t be needing that journal after all…

THREE MONTHS LATER...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this scientist's breakthrough idea to remove the tumor while leaving the artery that had fed it intact and attached to the brain resulted in the most miraculous event that has ever occurred in known history. With the tumor gone, the cells lining the artery which had been attached to the tumor began manufacturing cells that did the reverse of what they'd done while part of the cancerous growth. Instead of producing more cancer, they produced something science has never seen before: cells that actually attacked the cancer which had already metastasized in the patient's blood stream. The result of this was that not only did the patient live, but every trace of cancer previously seen in his body, over the last few months, has completely disappeared."

Quiet murmurs of amazement were heard throughout the room as he continued.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the man whose life was saved and to the scientist who, through saving that man's life, discovered something which has always eluded us: the cure for cancer."

Thunderous applause filled the banquet room as hundreds of people came to their feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jefferson Tracy and Dr. Christopher Braman!"

The crowd went wild. Virgil clapped Scott on the back as they watched the stage in front of them. Broad smiles lit their faces as, from their left, two men emerged from behind the curtain.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing Brains without his glasses," Virgil said into his brother's ear.

"Yeah, or to hearing people call him Christopher."

Virgil laughed as Brains, side-by-side with their father, walked across the stage to meet Dr. Harold Baker, president of the American Cancer Society. People were whistling and cheering, the sound drowning out any further attempts to speak. Baker shook each of their hands in succession, then presented Brains with a large plaque. Thoroughly embarrassed, Brains turned beet red and stepped back as Jeff moved behind the podium and tapped on the microphone.

Slowly the applause and cheering died down as everyone took their seats, waiting to hear what Jefferson Tracy had to say.

"As most of you know," he began, "three months ago I was a walking dead man. Cancer is something that has claimed millions of lives over the centuries, and without warning I found myself facing the prospect that I was going to become one of those statistics. I have had the good fortune in my life to be associated with people of the highest character, and with those whose thinking goes far beyond its time. One such man is a man I owe my life to. For years he's given Tracy Corporation an untold number of inventions, many amazing machines and equipment which has helped saved countless lives."

The audience began to applaud once more as Jeff's sons, all five of them, along with his mother, Tin-Tin, Kyrano, Penelope and Parker fairly beamed.

"Now without further ado," Jeff continued over the din, "I present to you, Dr. Christopher Braman."

People roared, coming to their feet once more as Jeff backed away and laid a hand on Brains' shoulder. Gordon and Alan laughed as their father had to physically push Brains toward the podium.

The engineer cleared his throat, and the noise died down as the crowd remained on its feet. "I didn't set out to find a cure for cancer," Brains said softly as he focused on those in the front row who had become the only family he'd ever known. "And I've never believed in miracles. I've always relied on hard facts, on science. All I wanted to do was save a friend." Here he turned to look Jeff in the eyes. He held his gaze for a moment as Jeff nodded to him. Then he turned back to face the crowd. "All I can say is this: now I believe. Not just in science and technology. But in miracles. Mr. Tracy is living proof that they can happen."

Everyone cheered and the Tracys moved off to the side of the room as the media surged forward, desperate to talk to the two men at the center of the greatest occurrence of their lifetimes. Suddenly Scott felt something on his arm. His watch was vibrating. He looked up at his brothers, who simultaneously looked up at him.

John leaned forward and said, "Looks like 5 has picked something up."

"No rest for the weary," Scott smiled, taking one last look at the throng of people surrounding his father and Brains. "You all remember where we parked?"

His brothers nodded.

"All right, then. Let's go!"

Jeff managed to reach the stairs on the side of the stage just in time to see his sons leaving through a nearby exit. Penelope stepped up and drew him into a hug.

"Don't tell me we've got a call now," he said as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Well, Jeff, Brains may have found the cure for cancer, but there are still innumerable things people need to be saved from."

Jeff smiled as the last of his sons disappeared behind the door. "I guess we'll be hard-pressed to get Brains alone anytime soon," he remarked.

"Yes, he's going to be the darling of the world now."

"Well, still and all, I know he won't forget International Rescue."

"Of course not. After all, it's his involvement with you in the first place that made this all possible."

"Think he'll have time to fix that shield system of his?"

Penelope laughed. "I don't know about that, what with the attention he'll be paid. But, like Brains said, I have learned to believe in miracles."

"Me, too, Penny," he said as they headed for the double-door exit. "Me, too."