VR: VIRTUAL RESCUE by TB's LMC RATED FRPT

When Brains becomes a victim of his own genius, even International Rescue may not be able to save him...or themselves.

CHAPTER ONE

"So, Brains, what is this you've called us down here to demonstrate?"

"Well, Mr. Tracy, I'd like to wait until Gordon and Alan arrive, i-if you don't mind."

"Where are they? Scott?"

"I don't know, Father. I contacted Alan and he said they'd be right down."

"Here we are, guys," Alan said as he and Gordon crossed Thunderbird 2's hangar.

"Right," Brains said. He placed his hand at the corner of a large tarp that was covering his latest invention. Everyone waited expectantly as he began. "A-As you all know, we've been talking about doing some updating to the, uh, Thunderbird craft as well as building new vehicles for rescue situations. I-In light of these undertakings, I thought it might be a good idea if we had a more efficient method for learning to handle these new and changed vehicles."

"Why not just stick to the tried-and-true?" Scott asked. "We've never had trouble testing new machines before."

"Well, uh, that's very true. However, testing new vehicles and modified cockpits in deserted locations gives us no idea of how to handle them in rescue situations. With my latest invention, you will be able to operate all Thunderbird craft and rescue equipment in a variety of scenarios. This will not only alert us to possible problems, but also make you more capable in the field when the time comes for using that particular equipment."

"That's a good idea," Gordon piped up. "Especially for those of us who don't use the equipment as much. That way we're always prepared."

"Agreed," said Jeff. "Let's see this contraption of yours, Brains."

Brains nodded and replied, "Gentlemen, may I present to you VRVS, the Virtual Reality Vehicle Simulator." With that, Brains tugged on the tarp and pulled it away, revealing his newest pride and joy.

The VRVS consisted of two bucket seats side-by-side, housed within a frame that was shaped like an aerodynamic car. Mounted in front of each seat were identical screens that were at the same level any equipment control panel would be located. Brains explained that when a particular virtual reality program was loaded, the screen would take on the "identity" of the control panel for the rescue vehicle in question. In front of the two seats and above the control panel screens was a sixty-inch viewing screen. Hung behind each seat was a set of VR gloves and a pair of VR glasses.

"I call first dibs on the test run!" Alan exclaimed, plopping himself into the seat on the left.

"Me, too!" Gordon said as he took over Seat 2.

Jeff, Scott and Virgil laughed at the younger men's enthusiasm.

"O-Okay, why don't we start out with something simple, like the Mole?"

"Sounds good to me!" Gordon replied.

"All right. VRVS, this is Brains. Load The Mole Simulation Scenario One. Alan, Gordon, go ahead and put on the glasses and gloves," he said as the words 'THE MOLE - SIMULATION SCENARIO 1' appeared on the view screen.

Alan and Gordon did as requested and gasped as the scenario came to life. "Wow!" Alan exclaimed, "It looks like I'm right inside The Mole!"

"This is amazing!" Gordon added. "It's so real!"

"Now why is it the two youngest brothers are trying this out before the two oldest?" Scott asked.

"Doesn't seem quite right," Virgil replied thoughtfully.

"It's because we're quicker than you old farts," Gordon said.

"You better watch it," Alan interjected, "with our luck they'll yank these things off us while we're still inside."

"We might just, at that," Virgil chuckled.

"Everyone, that is something I need to caution you about," Brains said, his expression serious. He paused the simulation program as Gordon and Alan lifted the glasses away from their eyes. "You must never, ever remove the VR glasses while you're inside a simulation. This is the latest in virtual reality technology. It interfaces directly with your brain, which enables you to not only see things, but also hear, touch, smell and feel them as well. It's very realistic. And for these reasons, pulling off the glasses without properly shutting down or pausing the program could potentially cause neurological problems."

Jeff frowned. "Are you sure this is something we should be using? Is it safe?"

Brains nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, Sir, it's quite safe as long as you follow that one simple rule. Negative neurological effects have only been reported twice in the tests conducted on the first VRVS created in the United States. I have altered their design in a variety of ways and minimized the potential for danger, but I still think it's best to err on the side of caution."

"Okay, Brains, we'll be careful," Scott said. "Now let's see this thing in action."

They spent the rest of the afternoon and much of the early evening trying out the VRVS. Scott and Virgil finally had to physically remove Gordon and Alan in order to get a chance to test it out. Jeff even sat in for a few rounds in Firefly and Thunderbird 1. Brains had never been happier. It seemed his latest creation was a smash hit with everyone.

When the Tracys had finally had their fill of the simulator, they headed up to the villa for a late dinner.

"Aren't you coming, Brains?" Jeff asked.

"Uh, no, Sir, I have a few modifications I'd like to make on the VRVS before I retire for the evening."

"All right, then. I'll send Grandma down with something for you to eat."

"Oh, uh, thank you, Sir," Brains replied. But his attention was already on the VRVS. He had removed the external control panel and was in the process of detaching the main CPU.

Jeff just shook his head as he followed his sons to the elevator. No wonder his engineer was so skinny. Food always seemed to be the last thing on Brains' mind. If it weren't for Kyrano and Ruth, Jeff was certain the young man would've starved by now.

It was almost 9:30 at night by the time Brains finished tinkering with the CPU. He reattached it into the VRVS frame and closed up the control panel. Not being one able to let an unfinished project lay unfinished, he loaded FIREFLY - SIMULATION SCENARIO 2 before settling into Seat 1. He put on the glasses and gloves and ordered the machine to begin the simulation. Voice interface was something he was just beginning to use, and it saved quite a bit of programming time, he was discovering.

Brains was still amazed by the realism the VRVS produced. He was sitting in the driver's seat of the Firefly. The panel screen directly in front of him looked just like Firefly's control panel. This virtual reality world, instead of being based entirely on images produced in the glasses, utilized the 60-inch screen positioned in front of the two seats as background. You could actually see through these VR glasses, almost as though they were sunglasses. The sights, sounds and smells associated with being within the scenario were created by a variety of impulses sent by the glasses through the eyes and into the brain.

It was the beginning of the second Firefly simulation. In this program, a skyscraper had collapsed into a large pile of rubble. Your mission as the pilot was to clear a path through the rubble to specified coordinates, which would enable the Mole to reach the area where it needed to start digging. You could choose to become the pilot of the Mole if you completed Firefly's mission successfully. If you did, you would be taken into the second Mole simulation.

Brains expertly moved Firefly out of Thunderbird 2's pod and headed for the burning pile of rubble. He could see his body if he looked down, and appreciated his own attention to detail when he saw he was wearing a white protective suit. In real life, even though Firefly was well shielded from heat, the driver could still become uncomfortably warm, and so protective suits remained a necessity. That was one of the things Brains intended to work on: increasing Firefly's insulatory factor to shield the cockpit from intense heat.

As he neared the rubble, Brains felt the air become warmer. He lowered the dozer and initiated the cannon in its center. Aiming, he fired a nitroglycerin charge into the mass in front of him. The force of the blast shoved Firefly backwards, and he smiled. Brains actually felt like he was being bumped along in the vehicle as the explosion occurred.

"Guess that little enhancement did the trick," he said aloud. "Now for dozing the rubble…"

Ruth Tracy stepped into the elevator just outside the Lounge. In her hands she held a silver tray containing a large bottle of water, and a plate filled with different items they'd had for dinner…including a warm slice of apple pie.

She pondered Brains as the elevator descended. "It's a wonder that man doesn't just waste away," she said to the metal walls surrounding her. "No wonder Jeff wanted me to make sure I took him some dinner. All he does is work, work, work." Almost before she'd completed the sentence, the elevator went dark and jerked to a halt.

"Now, what in blazes is this all about?"

"We blew a fuse?" Jeff asked.

"Seems that way, Father," Gordon replied.

"Good thing we have emergency lighting. Gordon, Alan, I want you to check it out."

"F.A.B., Dad," they replied.

A buzzer soon sounded from the console behind Jeff's desk. He pressed a button and spoke. "This is Jeff Tracy."

"Jeff, it's your mother."

"Mother? Where are you?"

"Stuck in the elevator. What's going on?"

"Gordon seems to think we blew a fuse. He and Alan are off checking it out as we speak. Are you okay in there?"

"Sure, a small emergency light came on."

"Well, if it looks like it'll be any longer than a few minutes, I'll send the boys to get you out."

"Okay."

Jeff closed the Emergency Elevator channel and sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Millions of dollars worth of machinery and equipment, my own atomic power generator and the brightest scientist in the world…and still, my fuses blow."

Within ten minutes, Gordon and Alan had reset the main breaker and the Tracy complex was once more flooded with working lights. The elevator bumped softly into gear and continued its downward trek. Ruth picked up the silver tray from where she'd set it on the floor and sighed in relief. She wasn't claustrophobic by any means, but being stuck inside a small elevator could get awfully uncomfortable.

It finally came to rest on the concrete floor of Thunderbird 2's hangar. The doors opened and Ruth stepped out and turned to her left, heading for the far corner of the hangar, where she knew Brains had set up his simulator machine. She didn't know much about it…technology was not her forte…but her son and grandsons had talked of nothing else throughout dinner, so she had an idea that whatever Brains had come up with this time, it was pretty fancy. And a lot of fun, if Gordon and Alan were any indication.

Ruth rounded a corner into a smallish nook in the back of the hangar and to Thunderbird 2's left. She saw the back of the machine she'd never seen before, as well as a long metal table Brains had set up against the left wall, just six feet from the VRVS. Brains himself, however, was nowhere to be seen. She approached the table and set the tray down, then looked into the machine. There were two seats in it, but both were empty. In one of them lay a pair of black shaded glasses and two black gloves. On the large screen mounted in the front of the frame, there was what looked to be the burning remains of a collapsed building.

"It's not like Brains to wander off with one of his gadgets still running," she mused as she headed back out into the cavern. "Brains!" she called. Only her own echoing voice replied. She tried again. "Brains! Where are you?"

Are you…are you…are you… her voice echoed back.

"Hm. That's odd. Oh, well. At least the food's here for when he comes back."

Ruth returned to the elevator and pressed the top button to be taken back to the main house. It never occurred to her that Brains' absence from the VRVS might actually be a sign that something had gone wrong.

For indeed, something had gone wrong. Horribly and completely wrong. As the Tracys would soon discover...

CHAPTER TWO

The first thing Brains realized as he slowly regained consciousness was that his back ached, like it always did when he fell asleep on the job. The second thing he realized was that there was an annoying humming sound, like that of an engine. The third thing he realized as his eyes fluttered open, was that he was sitting in the cockpit of Firefly.

Not so strange, he reasoned, he must have fallen asleep in the VRVS.

Except...

He looked down at the Control Panel…and realized it was the Control Panel. He looked at his hands. He wasn't wearing the black gloves. He felt his face. He wasn't wearing the black glasses. Finally he sat up and looked all around him. His face went ashen and his breath caught in his throat.

He was actually in Firefly.

"But how--what--where--" he stammered, rising to his feet.

When he looked out Firefly's front windows, he saw the remains of a burning building, the smoldering rubble piled high in front of him. His head felt very, very hot, and he noticed that although he was wearing a white protective suit, he was not wearing the facemask that went with it. Quickly reseating himself, he maneuvered Firefly back to the pod, which rested beneath Thunderbird 2, raised high on her stilts.

When Firefly was finally parked, Brains removed the protective suit and exited the vehicle. He stood in the doorway of the pod, staring all around. The only thing in sight besides Thunderbird 2 was the burning rubble about four hundred yards away. There was nothing else as far as the eye could see but grass.

Brow puckered in confusion, Brains raised his left arm to his face. "This is Brains calling International Rescue. Come in."

There was no response.

"Brains calling Mr. Tracy. Come in, please."

Nothing.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?"

He gulped when no one replied. What was happening? Why wasn't anyone answering him? Maybe his watch just wasn't working. He decided to head up to the cockpit. Surely at least Virgil would be there. Then he could find out what in the heck he was doing in Firefly.

In less than a minute, Brains found himself inside Thunderbird 2's cockpit. But it, just as with the pod, was empty. A strange, eerie feeling overtook Brains. He ran back to the emergency bunk area, but there was no one there.

"Virgil!" he called out. Only silence responded. "Scott?"

Shaking his head, he wracked his brain for the answers that just had to be there somewhere. As he headed back down to the pod, he replayed the last thing he remembered before finding himself in Firefly.

"I was working on the VRVS CPU," he said as he entered the pod. "I put it back in the unit and was running it through a test. Through…" His face paled as he approached the open hatch door. "Oh, my…I was running it through the Firefly simulation."

He turned and looked back at the Firefly, then outside toward the burning rubble. How could this be? It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible.

"If I'm not sitting in the VRVS…and nobody's responding to my hails…and I'm the only one here…it can only mean one thing."

Looking around himself once more, he sank to the floor of the pod, legs hanging out over the open hatch. "Can it be? Am I in…am I inside the VRVS? Inside…virtual reality?"

It was the only thing that made sense…as if anything at all could make sense in this situation. He shook his head. "If I really am inside, how am I ever going to get out of here?" he asked the emptiness surrounding him. "How will they know where I am? How?"

Scott, as usual, was the first one up the next morning. He brewed a strong pot of coffee, then showered and dressed. As he was returning to the kitchen for his first cup of the day, he met up with his father, who had also showered and dressed and, it seemed had been awake longer than he.

"Mornin', Father."

"Morning, Scott. Have you see Brains yet?" "No. Yuck, what's on that tray?" "It's the food Mother took down to Brains last night. He didn't touch it." Scott smiled as he grabbed a coffee mug from the cupboard. "Well, Dad, you know Brains: once he gets to working on something, the rest of the world doesn't exist. Sometimes I think his body feeds off his brain cells."

"Yes, but the VRVS was running. Brains doesn't usually leave things on."

"You mean he wasn't down there?"

"No. I turned the machine off, though. Come to think of it, that might be what caused the fuse to blow last night." As Jeff deposited the silver tray next to the sink and reached for a coffee mug, Ruth appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Ah, good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, Jeff. Good morning, Scott."

"Hi, Grandma. Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually, I did." Ruth took in the food…if you could call it that…left on the tray and she frowned. "Don't tell me. Brains didn't eat a bite."

"No, he sure didn't." Jeff replied as he and Scott seated themselves at the kitchen table. "Who's making breakfast this morning?"

"I am!" called a voice from the doorway.

"Gordo? You're sure chipper for this time of morning!" Scott teased.

"I oughtta be. I'm going down after breakfast to try out the Thunderbird 4 simulation Brains programmed into the VRVS."

"Figures," Alan said, yawning, as he entered the kitchen behind his brother. "Thunderbird 4's the only thing that would get you up this early."

"And what's your excuse?" Gordon replied cheekily as he began pulling pots and pans out of their cubbies.

"Tin-Tin and I are taking the Tiger for a spin. Gotta keep the old girl in shape, you know."

"Alan!" Scott exclaimed, a look of mock horror upon his face. "Don't you dare let Tin-Tin hear you talking about her like that?"

"Oh, knock it off, you know what I was-"

"Talk about me like what?" Tin-Tin asked, her brow knitted into a frown as she walked up behind Alan.

He spun around to face her, his cheeks flushing. "Uh, nothing, uh, Tin-Tin, I didn't say-"

"Alan Tracy, if you can't say something nice about a person, you shouldn't say anything-"

"Oh, come on, Tin-Tin, I didn't say anything bad about you, I was talking about the Tiger!"

"Of course you were, you'd rather talk about that haggard old plane any day of the week than me!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Alan nearly bellowed as Tin-Tin turned and stalked out of the kitchen. "You come back here, what was that supposed to mean?"

Everyone stared at Alan's retreating form as he followed her out the door.

"Nice going, Scott," Gordon said as he cracked the first egg. "Now they'll be at it for hours."

"Me? What'd I do?"

"Honestly, Scott," Jeff said, frowning as he picked up the newspaper.

"What?" Scott asked, rising from the table. When he received nothing but a stern look from his father and a shaking head from his brother, Scott threw his hands up in the air and left the room, nearly knocking Virgil over in the process.

"What's goin' on?" Virgil asked sleepily, running his hands through his rather unkempt chestnut hair.

Gordon chuckled. "Same old, same old, Virg."

"Good morning, Virgil."

"Morning, Grandma, everyone." Virgil sank into the chair recently vacated by Scott. He looked toward the door, where the sounds of arguing voices could be heard, and groaned. "God, they're at it already? It's too early for this."

Scott hadn't meant to start a fight between his youngest brother and Tin-Tin. He honestly hadn't known Tin-Tin was anywhere near the kitchen. He laughed to himself as he rode the elevator down to Thunderbird 2 hangar. He'd blundered, that was for sure. Still, it was pretty funny. Tin-Tin knew better than to think Alan would ever berate her. Sometimes Scott thought they just argued to put on a show. Almost as though they were trying to convince the entire family that they weren't in love.

"Yeah, right, like any of us would believe that," he said aloud.

When the elevator came to rest, Scott exited and headed for the VRVS. He'd been somewhat surprised when his father had reported it having been left on. He himself had noticed that not even the water bottle had been touched. Even though he didn't usually eat while in the middle of working a new invention, Brains always drank water. So much so that sometimes Scott found it a wonder he didn't just float away.

Whatever the myriad of reasons, Scott decided to check on the engineer for himself. He couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on. He turned the corner and approached the VRVS, but Brains was nowhere in sight. He decided to check Brains' rooms. Perhaps he had gone off to bed after all, at a very late hour, and had just been too tired to turn the machine off.

But as he headed for Brains' suite, something in the back of his mind told him he wouldn't find him there.

Brains stretched and yawned. He actually felt pretty good, and assumed he'd had a good night's sleep in his own bed for once instead of hunched over a table or control panel. His eyes opened and for a moment, confusion reigned. He wasn't in his bedroom. He wasn't even in the house.

He sat bolt upright. It took a few seconds for him to realize he was in one of Thunderbird 2's beds. It took another few seconds for him to recall why he was sleeping there to begin with. Hoping and praying it had all been a bad dream, Brains hopped out of bed and opened Thunderbird 2's hatch. He descended the steps and was hit with the sickening knowledge that it had not all been a dream.

The outside world looked just the same as it had the night before. The sky was still clear and blue, the green grass stretched out flat in every direction and there was still a pile of burning rubble several hundred yards away.

"Oh, God," he breathed. "Now what do I do?"

Just then, it seemed as though the world flickered. For a moment, everything blinked off and then back on again. The wheels of Brains' mind turned quickly, and he soon understood what was happening.

"No!" he cried out, running around to the front of the open pod. He pirouetted wildly, running in circles, waving his arms about. "No! Don't turn it off! Don't turn it off! DOOOOOON'T!!!!"

But it was too late. All at once, his world went black.

CHAPTER THREE

Scott began to get worried. Brains wasn't with the VRVS and he wasn't in his rooms. And now, as Scott walked through the spacious laboratory deep within the bowels of the island, he realized Brains wasn't here, either. Where in the world could he be? He decided to voice his concerns to the rest of his family and made his way back up to the main house.

He found them all in the kitchen having a lively discussion about the latest movie that had been released. Even Alan and Tin-Tin were there, their earlier argument seemingly forgotten. Scott seated himself at the table, where a plate of pancakes and sausage awaited him. He half-listened as Gordon and Alan debated the finer points of whether or not androids that looked and acted completely human were possible.

"Anything's possible in the movies," Alan said. "Androids is sure to hit top at the box office."

Jeff folded his newspaper and took a sip of coffee. "There's always Braman. I have a hunch Brains will have him walking and talking like the rest of us in no time. And if his VRVS is any indication of what can happen, I'd say anything is possible."

"I agree, Father," Gordon chimed in. "It's so realistic, it's like you're actually there."

"Speaking of Brains," Scott said, swallowing a mouthful of pancakes, "have any of you seen him this morning?"

Everyone at the table shook their head or said, "No."

"He's probably in the lab," Virgil offered.

"No. I checked. He's not in his suite, the lab sleeping room or with the VRVS either. Grandma, did you see him last night when you took the food down to him?"

"As a matter of fact, I didn't," Ruth replied as she began placing dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "His machine was running, but he wasn't there. I just left the tray of food on the table."

"What is it, Scott?" Virgil asked. He knew his brother well enough to know he was concerned.

"I don't know, Virg. Don't you think it's odd that Brains would leave the VRVS on like that? Dad said he shut it off this morning, which means it was probably on all night. And he didn't go near the bottle of water."

"Yeah, that is unusual," Gordon agreed.

"What are you thinking, son?" Jeff asked, eyeing the worry lines beginning to appear in Scott's forehead.

"I don't know, Father. I just feel that something is off."

Alan raised his wrist to his face and spoke into his watch. "Alan calling Brains. Come in, Brains."

Everyone listened, but there was no response. Gordon was the next one to give it a try.

"Brains? It's Gordon. Come in, Brains."

Jeff frowned. "I'm beginning to agree with you, Scott. Brains always wears his com. And it's not like him not to answer a hail, no matter how busy he is." Jeff thought for a few moments as everyone exchanged worried glances. "All right, let's see if we can't locate him and clear this up. Search pattern Alpha, everyone."

They all came to their feet as Kyrano entered the room. "What is it?" he asked, seeing the looks on their faces.

Everyone but Ruth and Tin-Tin filed out of the kitchen.

"It's Brains, Father. We can't seem to find him. We're going to do a search."

"Would you like my assistance?"

"No, that's all right. I think Mrs. Tracy could use your help right now."

Kyrano nodded and headed for Ruth as Tin-Tin left to take up her search area.

"I certainly hope he's okay," Tin-Tin said to herself as she climbed the steps to the house's second floor. "I wonder where he could be."

Brains couldn't see a thing. He could feel his hands, his face, his body…but quite literally couldn't see past the end of his nose. Well, actually, he couldn't see his nose, either. He knew what had happened: someone back in the real world had turned the VRVS off.

"They must realize by now I'm missing," he said, his voice sounding small in the vast expanse of nothingness surrounding him.

But, he reasoned, perhaps they didn't yet realize he was missing. After all, days, sometimes even weeks would pass with little or no contact between he and the Tracys. When Brains was in the middle of creating or tweaking something, he could be at it for days on end, with barely any sleep or food at all. That fact didn't bode well for his current predicament. If they weren't even aware he was missing, they wouldn't try to find him. And if they didn't try to find him, he could be trapped in this virtual reality limbo for a good, long time.

The only way he figured he could get out of this was if one of the Tracys reactivated the VRVS and actually entered a simulation program. At this point, it didn't matter which program, since Brains was, for all intents and purposes, as 'shut down' as the rest of the machine. He couldn't feel anything beneath his feet. He just felt suspended, as though he were floating in mid-air. He could move around, but there was really nowhere to go. He began to wonder how long he'd last like this.

"If I ever do get out of this, it'll make one heckuva scientific paper."

Just over an hour after their search began, all members of the Tracy household were gathered in the Lounge. Ruth and Kyrano entered just as the debriefing began.

"I searched all the bedrooms, Mr. Tracy," Tin-Tin said. "I didn't find him."

Alan looked worried as he came to stand next to Tin-Tin. "I searched Thunderbird 3 and her silo. No luck."

"How about Thunderbird 1, Scott?" Jeff asked.

"Nothing, Dad. Not in the hangar, the launch bay, nothing."

Virgil shook his head. "Thunderbird 2 hangar, the maintenance bay, everything is empty."

"Gordon?"

"No, Father. The roundhouse and cliff house were empty, too."

"And I searched the lab again, as well as the boathouse. I didn't find him either." The tension could've been cut with a knife as everyone contemplated the possibilities. "I think it's time we get John involved."

Several heads nodded as Jeff moved behind his desk. He opened a channel to Thunderbird 5. "This is Base calling Thunderbird 5. Come in, John."

John's vid portrait was quickly replaced by his live countenance. "Thunderbird 5 here, Father. What's up?"

"Do me a favor, John. Try to pinpoint Brains' location using the GPS in his wrist com."

John frowned…he knew his father, or anyone on the island could do a GPS scan themselves…but began the scan procedure on the console next to him. His frown deepened when the first results came back. He expanded the search beyond Tracy Island until it covered half the globe, but still had no luck. Finally he widened it to include all of Earth, but there was no signal to be found.

"Father?" he said incredulously. "I can't find him. He's not on the planet anywhere. Or, at least, his watch isn't. What's going on?"

Jeff seemed to pale slightly as he replied, "I wish I knew, John. Brains seems to have vanished into thin air."

Brains yawned as he opened his eyes. Or, he thought he was opening his eyes. Who could tell when the space around you was just as void of images as the space behind your eyelids? He realized he must have fallen asleep again, and was amazed by how comfortable he was even though he seemed to be supported by nothing.

"There has to be a way for me to turn this back on," he said. Then he remembered the voice commands he'd programmed the VRVS to recognize. "I wonder…" He paused, his mind turning over the possibilities and various potential consequences if he were successful. The pros seemed to outweigh the cons as best as he could figure, so he decided to proceed.

"VRVS, this is Brains. VRVS on."

To his surprise, the blackness disappeared and was replaced by a bright white, so bright he had to close his eyes against the glare. It was working. It was working!

"VRVS, load Thunderbird 6, Simulation Scenario 1."

Before he could even open his eyes, Brains was sitting in the rear seat of the Tiger, Alan's bright yellow bi-plane, which had been christened Thunderbird 6 only five months earlier after its unique role in saving the lives of several members of International Rescue from the top of a teetering Skyship One. Brains still hadn't gotten over the loss of his beautifully designed ship…but now was not the time to dwell.

He removed the flight cap and goggles that had suddenly appeared on his head, and hopped out of the plane to take a look at his surroundings. The sky was overcast and looked due to let loose with the torrential downpour Brains had programmed into this particular scenario. They'd never used the Tiger in inclement weather, which was why Brains had decided a simulation for it was a good idea.

Surrounding him were fields of wheat. In the distance were a farmhouse, a barn and a grain silo, but he hadn't programmed any people into this scenario. It was only to be used for learning how to handle Thunderbird 6 in heavy rains, high winds and a tornado, which would appear from his left. He'd chosen the Tracy home state of Kansas for his background on it, but had made the farm itself from scratch. The tornado would miss the farmhouse, but give the Tiger, which was supposed to be flying over the area at the time, one heck of a buffeting.

"Now what?" he asked the small airplane as he leaned back against one of her wings. His eyes turned toward the farmhouse again. His programming had been nothing if not realistic, and he knew the contents of the farmhouse inside and out. In it, he knew there was a vidphone.

A virtual vidphone, yes…but since the VRVS used the same circuitry as the communications system on Tracy Island…and if he could make the VRVS turn itself on and load a program, maybe…just maybe…he could somehow make contact with the island using the vidphone connection in this simulation.

A steely resolve in his step, Brains headed for the farmhouse. It was a long shot, to be sure. But it was the only shot he had.

"We must try and retrace his steps," Jeff said as he and his sons approached the VRVS. "Tin-Tin, Kyrano and Mother may find some clue as to his whereabouts in his lab or rooms, but we can't rely on that."

"Yeah, Brains isn't one to leave a trail of bread crumbs," Gordon agreed.

"Dad, the machine. It's on! I thought you said you turned it off!" Scott said, peering into the VRVS' frame.

"I did. I saw it work the shutdown procedure myself."

"Then how is it that it's on again?" Virgil asked.

"Good question, son. Maybe Brains is somewhere around."

They gathered 'round and watched as the VRVS loaded a program. On the screen appeared the words THUNDERBIRD 6 - SIMULATION SCENARIO 1. But just as the images began flickering to life, Jeff's watch beeped.

"Father?"

"What is it, John?" "We have an emergency. It looks like we're going to need all hands on deck for this one."

Jeff sighed. Searching for Brains would have to wait. Duty called. "Right, John, we're on our way."

The five men loped to the elevator, with Gordon taking one last look at the VRVS before following the others. An uneasy feeling settled over him as he ran across the hangar.

Don't worry, Brains, he thought. We'll find you.

CHAPTER FOUR

Brains walked up the front porch steps of the farmhouse, opened the door and stepped inside. He found himself in the living room, which covered the entire front half of the structure. The carpet beneath his feet was plush and the color of saffron. There was a baby grand piano to his left, and several pieces of furniture to his right, along with a large fireplace that covered the entire west wall.

In front of him was an entryway leading to the kitchen. As he entered, to his immediate right was another doorway that led to the dining room. He walked through there, and then on to the den, another large room that spanned the entire rear of the house. Brains crossed to the opposite side of the room, where a vidphone unit sat on a wooden table against a wood-paneled wall. He seated himself in the one wooden chair and turned the vidphone on. The screen read Dial your number, please. He took a deep breath and dialed the eight-digit number for the vidphone behind Jeff's desk.

"This has to work," he whispered, staring at the screen as it said, Dialing. "It just has to."

Having been advised of the situation, Scott had launched in Thunderbird 1, with Gordon, Alan and Virgil close behind in Thunderbird 2. Jeff waited at his desk, his fingers drumming on its smooth surface. It was a mudslide. His sons hated mudslides. They were messy and unpredictable…and extremely deadly. With all the technology we have nowadays, he thought, you'd think we'd be able to keep wet dirt from sliding.

But the rains in Uruguay had been terrible this past week. And even though the small South American country had become more modernized over the last fifty years, there were still a few bands of indigenous Amerindians who chose to live as their ancestors had, living simply off the land with very little in the way of modern conveniences. This time, it was a rather large village in the north of the country that had become the latest victim of Mother Nature.

Jeff only hoped they weren't too late. The last time they'd been called out for a mudslide, more than two-dozen people had already perished before International Rescue had arrived. It had taken days for the boys to get over what had felt like a failure, but was, in reality, something they could have done nothing to stop. He and his sons all had a tendency to blame themselves for things they knew they had no power over. They were in the business of saving lives. And when even one life was lost, it hit the entire group like a ton of bricks.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Best not to let his mind wander like that. It was downright depressing. Just then, the vidphone behind him buzzed. He turned around and opened the line, then frowned. For the screen turned bright white and then the words THUNDERBIRD 6 - SIMULATION SCENARIO 1 appeared.

"What in the Sam Hill…?"

"What is it, Mr. Tracy?"

Jeff turned as his old friend deposited a steaming mug of black coffee in front of him. "I don't know. A call came in, and when I answered, this is what I got."

Kyrano and Jeff both watched as the words faded, to be replaced by a landscape that reminded Jeff of the farmland of his youth. There were fields of golden wheat as far as the eye could see. In the foreground sat Alan's little Tiger plane, and in the distance he could see a white farmhouse, a concrete grain silo and a red barn.

"What are we looking at?"

"I don't know, Kyrano. Wait…wait a second…it said Thunderbird 6 Simulation Scenario…yes, I do know! This must be one of the programs from the VRVS!"

"Mister Brains' new invention?"

Jeff nodded as they continued to watch. Soon the dark skies within the picture opened up and it began to pour. As it did, a beeping sound from the opposite wall caused Jeff to look away. The eyes in Scott's vid portrait on the wall were lighting up in time to the signal. Jeff turned and opened the channel to his eldest.

"Here, Scott. What's the situation?"

Kyrano focused on the vidphone, not even hearing what was being said behind him. A movement near the farmhouse caught his attention. As Jeff closed the channel with Scott, Kyrano said, "Mr. Tracy! Look! Something is moving there!"

Jeff turned and looked at the scene. It was very dark thanks to the storm, but he could just make out a shadow in front of the farmhouse that seemed to grow progressively larger. "What is it?"

"I cannot be certain. However, it looks like it might be a person running toward the plane."

His brow furrowed, a thought occurred to Jeff that he tried to dismiss as impossible. But as the shadow drew nearer, he was certain he recognized the gait. It moved very much like his lanky engineer. He shook his head slowly. It was the most outlandish thing he'd ever thought, and he dismissed it immediately. The person's face was almost visible when a sudden roar blasted through the vidphone speakers. "What on Earth?!?"

"It is a tornado, Sir!"

Jeff watched in horror as the cyclone appeared from the left and swept toward the lone figure, which had begun running back toward the farmhouse. He rose to his feet, still leaning on the console behind his desk, his face glued to the vidphone screen. "Run," he whispered. "Run!"

But the cyclone was too fast for the person, and Kyrano and Jeff could only watch in disbelief as the figure was dragged up into the funnel right before their eyes.

"My God!" Jeff bellowed. "What did we just see?!?"

"The last few moments of someone's life, I am afraid, Mr. Tracy." Kyrano watched Jeff's face as a myriad of thoughts was expressed through his eyes. "What is it, Sir?"

"Why would the VRVS call my vidphone and play out one of Brains' scenarios?"

"I do not know. What are you thinking?"

Unwilling to even give credence to his original train of thought, Jeff just shook his head. "I'm not sure what to think, Kyrano. I'm not sure what to think."

The connection had gone through, much to Brains' relief. He could see Jeff Tracy, then saw Kyrano walk up and stand next to him. Both of them seemed to be looking right at him, but no matter what he did, he couldn't make them hear him. He wondered what exactly they were seeing, and decided the most logical conclusion was that they were viewing the programmed scenario he was in.

"If that's the case," he said, "they won't be able to see me unless I'm outside by the Tiger."

He left the vidphone channel open and ran back through the house to the front door. He descended the front porch steps and trotted across the grass toward the bi-plane; all the while fervently hoping they could see him. He knew the plane would be in the foreground of the scene, if indeed that's what they were viewing, so if he got close enough to it, they should be able to discern his identity.

When he was about halfway to the Tiger, a roar sounded in his ears and he felt the air pressure drop so rapidly it made his ears pop. "Oh, no," he said, looking to his right. "I forgot about the tornado!"

Glancing once more at Thunderbird 6, Brains turned and began running back toward the farmhouse. Since it didn't get hit in the scenario, he knew he'd be safe there. Revealing himself to Jeff and Kyrano would just have to wait until the twister passed. As he ran, though, he realized it was moving much faster than he. The wind whipped up around him and shafts of wheat drove into his body like tiny knives.

He cried out. He knew he wasn't going to make it. He felt his feet leave the ground, which got farther and farther away as he flew up into the air.

"No!" he cried. "VRVS! End program! End program!"

The vidphone suddenly went dead, leaving the welcome screen in place of the horrible scene they'd just witnessed. Kyrano shook his head sadly as Jeff swore, "Dammit!"

Kyrano started slightly. He wasn't used to Jeff losing his temper, at least not while he was in close proximity. "Who do you think that was?" Kyrano asked.

"I-I just don't know."

"Yes, Sir. I think you do."

Jeff looked up at him. "It can't be, Kyrano. Such things are not possible."

"More is possible within and without than man is prepared to admit, Mr. Tracy."

"You think Brains is stuck inside the VRVS?"

"What do you think?"

Jeff turned away, trying to gather his thoughts and wrap his mind around something that seemed not only illogical, but also downright unfeasible. Finally, he turned back to face his friend. "I can't shake this feeling I have, Kyrano."

"You should listen to your feelings. Sometimes your 'gut', as you call it, is all you have to go on."

He nodded. Suddenly, he didn't care if what he was going to say sounded ridiculous or not. Because he felt it. In his gut, as Kyrano had said. "I think that was Brains. He's stuck inside the VRVS. And he's trying to contact us."

Kyrano smiled, pleased that Jeff was willing to voice his theory. But then his smile faded as he asked, "What shall we do?"

Jeff sank back into his chair. "I don't know. The technology of the VRVS is way beyond me; I don't know the first thing about virtual reality. Maybe the boys will have an idea when they return from this rescue." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "You said you thought we were watching the last moments of someone's life. If that was Brains, I can only hope you were wrong."

Kyrano nodded before retreating to his rooms. He felt that right now, a meditation was in order. A meditation for Brains. He didn't really know the engineer all that well, but deeply respected him as he did the Tracy family. Perhaps he would be able to reach out and find Brains' mind somehow. If…and it was a big if…Brains hadn't been killed by the tornado. But somehow, Kyrano felt he hadn't. He didn't know if he could contact Brains, especially if he really was stuck inside a machine, but it was worth a try.

Brains once again found himself suspended in nothingness and exhaled the breath he'd been holding. "That was a close one," he said. "Guess I need to use a scenario without a disaster." He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, that's it. I know which one to use. VRVS, this is Brains. VRVS on."

Once more the blinding white light surrounded him.

"VRVS, load Thunderbird 4, Simulation Scenario 1."

All at once he was seated in the cockpit of Thunderbird 4. He had programmed this scenario for them to learn how to handle the small sub should underwater disasters occur…things like gas jets or submerged volcanoes, for instance. Therefore, he reasoned, as long as he didn't launch Thunderbird 4, he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught by any disasters.

He was dressed in his International Rescue uniform, complete with brown sash. Once again, he appreciated his mind's attention to detail. He'd programmed the VRVS to recognize the different members of the organization and clothe them appropriately. Brains rose from the seat and opened the side hatch. He stepped out and found himself in Pod 4, which was sitting beneath Thunderbird 2 on the conveyer belt.

He remembered that he'd also programmed the VRVS into this scenario, just for the sake of making everything as true-to-life as possible. He wondered what would happen if he used the virtual reality VRVS while actually inside a VRVS world.

"Well, only one way to find out." Brains crossed the hangar to the VRVS and seated himself in Seat 1. He put on the gloves and glasses and settled in. "VRVS, this is Brains. VRVS on."

He didn't realize that the virtual reality world in which he found himself was beginning to lose solidity. Portions of the world here and there would grow fuzzy, then return to clarity, then flicker, revealing a red digital grid behind it.

The VRVS he was sitting in came to life. There was one scenario he'd made that he'd no intention of sharing with anyone else. But if he could get this to work, it might just be his saving grace. He smiled slightly as he spoke. "VRVS, load Tracy Island, Simulation Scenario 1."

The sixty-inch screen in front of him displayed the name of the program, and then faded as a shot of Tracy Island appeared, as though someone were viewing it from the ocean. Simultaneously, the real VRVS tried to load the second program even though the Thunderbird 4 scenario was already running. Brains heard several popping and crackling sounds and ripped the glasses from his face.

He jumped out of the VRVS and stared as Thunderbird 2 hangar somehow began to take the shape of the Lounge in the house, but still keep the look of the hangar. "Oh, no," he whispered. "What have I done?"

Jeff crossed Thunderbird 2's hangar, headed for the VRVS. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he wasn't about to let Brains stay stuck inside that machine…if, indeed, that's where he was. He'd left Tin-Tin in charge of Base up in the house and headed down here after Virgil had checked in. He hadn't informed them of his suspicions…hell, even he thought it was a crazy notion. But how else could Brains' disappearance and the strange vidphone call be explained?

He turned the corner and approached the machine. It was on! He watched in amazement as the very island he lived on came into view. From the angle it was at, you would never know anyone lived on that hunk of rock. He sat down in Seat 1 and placed the gloves on his hands. He raised the glasses to his face, then stopped in mid-motion as the screen before him wavered. He frowned, wondering what was going on.

The image seemed to fade a little, and an overlapping image of Thunderbird 2 in her hangar began to settle over the top of what was now the Lounge. "Something's wrong," Jeff said, taking the gloves off. He squeezed in between the two control panel screens and walked right up to the large view screen in the front of the VRVS frame. It was difficult to make much out since there were two pictures vying to occupy the same space.

But to the right of Thunderbird 2, he could see something…no, someone. It was Brains! He could see him as clear as day!

"Brains!" he yelled, doing everything he could to keep his eyes focused on him. "Brains, can you hear me? Brains, it's Jeff, can you hear me?!?"

Without warning, the machine began to hum very loudly. Jeff could only watch as the two pictures flickered and seemed to cut out before showing again. The hum rose to a high-pitched whine and sparks began flying out of the side panel on its frame. Jeff backed away from the view screen. He watched as Brains seemed to yell something.

And suddenly, he could hear him. "No!" Brains yelled. "VRVS end program! VRVS off! VRVS-"

"Brains!"

The pictures disappeared and the view screen glowed a blinding white as the acrid smell of smoke filled his nostrils. He began to cough as he made his way out of the machine, waving his hand in front of his face to try and fan the smoke away. He reached the control panel, which was sparking and smoking, and quickly jabbed the 'off' button with his thumb.

As he backed away from the VRVS, Jeff continued to cough. At last he got himself under control. The smoke seemed to have cleared, but the control panel was now hanging from the frame. He could see that some wires and components behind it had been burned.

"My God," he said, shaking his head. "Brains. It's true. You really are in there. But look at this machine, it's ruined. What are we gonna do?"

CHAPTER FIVE

Incense hung heavy in the air within Kyrano's bedroom. He was seated on a large pillow at the foot of the bed, his legs crossed Hindu-style, his hands resting upon his knees. One solitary candle stood on the floor in front of him, its flame burning steadily. This candle was orange, the color he had long ago chosen for Brains. He had one candle within his possession for every resident of Tracy Island. He had selected the color representing each person carefully, in accordance with his knowledge of the inner self.

At this moment, his body was relaxed and his mind was searching. Searching for Brains. For a moment, he'd been certain he'd found him, but the sensation quickly faded. Now, Kyrano was using his powers to the fullest to try and locate the missing engineer. What he didn't realize was that his mind had begun acting as a beacon. A beacon that one of great ill will had picked up on instantly. Soon, Brains being trapped inside virtual reality wouldn't be International Rescue's only problem.

Scott frowned as he watched the blip move across his radar screen. "This is strange," he mumbled. "There shouldn't be any aircraft in this vicinity."

Piloting Thunderbird 1, Scott was on his way back to Base. The Uruguay rescue had consumed nineteen hours of International Rescue's time. To everyone's relief, the two people buried by the initial mudslide had been dug out by fellow villagers prior to IR's arrival. It was then a matter of getting to people stranded by the resulting mountain of mud. That's what had taken so long. Gordon had nearly gotten caught in a second, smaller slide, but luckily Alan had pulled him out of harm's way just in the nick of time.

They were all filthy dirty and a little sore, but not too much the worse for wear. Scott's mind had drifted to Brains, wondering where he'd gone, what had happened to him. Then, only 110 miles out from the island, his eyes had become riveted to his radar as another aircraft approached from the west. Its destination seemed to be Tracy Island.

"Thunderbird 1 to Base," Scott said.

"Base here, Scott."

"Tin-Tin?"

"Yes. Is everything all right?"

"I don't know. The rescue went okay, Thunderbird 2 and I are on our way back. Have you picked up the craft now 94 miles due west of your position?"

"Yes, I've been watching it for a few minutes now. It seems to be headed here."

"Can you get a make on it?"

"No. I've already asked John to see if he can identify it. Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know. We're not expecting anyone. It's a bad time, too. I'm almost home."

"I'll contact Mr. Tracy."

"Where is he?"

"He went down to the VRVS. He seemed rather agitated, but he would tell me nothing."

"I'll call him myself, Tin-Tin. Keep working with John to get a make on that plane."

"F.A.B."

"This is Thunderbird 1 calling Jeff Tracy."

Jeff was in the elevator headed back up to the main house when his watch beeped. He raised his arm to his face. "This is Jeff Tracy."

"Father, I think you'd better get back to Base."

"I'm on my way now. What's happened?"

"There's an aircraft approaching you from the west. It's now only 76 miles out. Tin-Tin and John are trying to get a make on it. Are you expecting anyone?"

Jeff frowned. Now what? "No, I'm not. And you can't land while they're in the vicinity. Stay a few hundred miles out and inform Virgil. I'm assuming the rescue was successful?"

"Yes, Father. No casualties. I'll get in touch with Thunderbird 2."

"Good work, son. I'll get back to you as soon as we figure out what's going on." "F.A.B."

Jeff hurried into the Lounge. "I just spoke with Scott. What's the situation, Tin-Tin?"

From his portrait screen on the wall, John responded. "Father, it's a private jet, and I'm reading one life sign aboard. It seems to be headed straight for you, it hasn't changed course in the last twenty minutes."

"It might be nothing," Jeff said thoughtfully as he seated himself behind his desk.

"That's not all, Mr. Tracy," Tin-Tin said, her face belying her internal anxiety.

"What is it? What haven't you told me?"

"Father, the aircraft is carrying two Mark Twenty-Four Air-To-Surface missiles, one on the bottom of each wing."

Jeff's face paled. "You're certain?"

Tin-Tin nodded. "We didn't catch them at first. There seems to be some sort of cloaking mechanism that blocked their existence until a few minutes ago."

"And it's not a military plane?"

"No," John replied, his face grim. "Father, I recommend Thunderbird 1 intercept her. She's only forty miles out now."

"I agree," Tin-Tin added. "We can't take any chances."

"But how would someone have been able to find us? I can't believe it's on its way to bomb us."

Kyrano ran into the room, horror etched upon his face. "Mr. Tracy! Quickly! We must leave this house!"

"What?" Jeff asked, rising to his feet. "What's going on?"

"There is no time to explain, Sir! Find Mrs. Tracy and get out of here!"

Jeff had never seen his friend so upset. Without question, he raced to his mother's room, hoping to find her there. To his great relief, he'd been right, and he ran in, grabbed her hand and headed back to the Lounge. Ruth was surprised, to say the least, but the look on her son's face told her to follow along and ask questions later.

"John, get Scott and the others back here now!" Tin-Tin ordered as she and Kyrano headed for the patio.

"F.A.B.!"

Tin-Tin and Kyrano waited out on the balcony. They could hear the whine of engines as the plane approached.

"John!" Jeff bellowed as he and Ruth ran through the Lounge, "Get Scott and Virgil here now!"

"They're on their way! Hurry! It's almost on you!" John looked down at his console, then frantically screamed, "They're firing! They're firing!" He could do nothing but watch helplessly as his father and the others disappeared from view.

The four raced down the large curved staircase and to the left of the pool. Jeff raised his wrist to his face. "This is Jeff Tracy, code theta-alpha-alpha-gamma. Emergency Entrance Shelter 4, activate!"

A seven-foot-tall door hidden in the rock face of the cliff in front of them rolled sideways. They ran inside and Jeff used a control panel to close the door behind them. Lights flickered on as he led them down a tunnel.

"The most secure portion of this shelter is just ahead," Jeff yelled, his mother's hand still firmly grasped in his. "We should be able to get there before-"

However, he didn't get the chance to complete his sentence. Even from deep within the mountain, they heard two explosions. The earth rocked, sending all four of them tumbling to the floor. The lights flickered for a moment but remained burning.

"Anyone hurt?" Jeff asked.

"No, I'm okay. Father?"

"I am fine, my daughter."

"Mother?"

"Okay, Jeff, just a bit bruised. Do you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Kyrano?"

"Yes, Mr. Tracy. I'm afraid I have made a grave error."

"In what way?" Jeff asked as they all came to their feet.

Kyrano looked stricken, almost as though he might shed tears. "I believe the man who just bombed your home was none other than The Hood."

Brains' mind raced. Ever since the VRVS had closed its programs, he hadn't been able to get a simulation to load. He'd tried every voice command programmed into the machine, but nothing happened. He just hung suspended in the middle of blackness. He kept mentally kicking himself for having tried to verbally load a scenario on the VR VRVS while being inside a world created by the real VRVS. He'd been so excited at the prospect of being able to get himself out of there, he'd let himself slip. And what a slip it had been.

If the theory now forming in his head were accurate, the real VRVS had most likely blown its circuitry trying to load the Tracy Island scenario over top of the Thunderbird 4 scenario. That meant, in effect, the machine was broken. He doubted anyone on the island had a clue how to fix it. And now, no matter how furiously he worked the problem through, he couldn't come up with a solution.

"How could I be so stupid?!?" he yelled into the void.

Suddenly he felt something strange. A presence. It felt like someone else was there. How could that be? Was his theory wrong? Was the VRVS machine really working? Was one of the Tracys trying to get in?

"Hello?" he called out. "Hello, is anyone there?"

And then he knew…he just knew…who it was.

"Kyrano?"

Brains! I have found you!

Brains frowned. He couldn't hear anything, but he knew Kyrano was speaking to him. It was almost like thoughts were flowing into his mind, thoughts he knew weren't his, but belonged to Kyrano.

"Yes! Kyrano, I'm here! Where are you? I can't see anything!"

I am on Tracy Island. Where are you?

"I'm stuck inside the VRVS, Kyrano! What's happened to it? I can't get it to go back on!"

You are inside the machine?

"Yes! No! I mean, I'm inside the programming somehow. I'm not certain how it happened. I tried to contact you, I saw you and Mr. Tracy. Did you see me?"

Yes, we saw you. How can we get you out of there?

"I don't know. Something's happened. I think it may have blown its circuitry." A sudden thought occurred to Brains, and he felt hope for the first time since his screw-up. "Kyrano, do you think you could help me fix it?"

How?

Before Brains could reply, a feeling of dread overcame him. He felt someone else there. Someone who shouldn't be there. Someone evil. "Kyrano?"

No. Oh, no. By the hands of Kahla, no!

"Kyrano?" Brains screeched frantically. "What is it? Who's here?"

I will return! We will free you! But I must go now! We are in danger!

"What? In danger from whom? Kyrano? Kyrano!"

But just as surely as he'd felt Kyrano arrive, Brains now felt him leave. "What's happened? What's going on? Kyrano???"

There was nothing for a long time. Then suddenly the world around him lit up, blinding white light rendering him unable to see. He blinked rapidly, trying desperately to figure out what was going on. All at once he was sitting in the Mole's cockpit…then, just as suddenly, he found himself in Firefly's cockpit…and then Thunderbird 1's gimble-slung pilot's chair…and Thunderbird 4's cockpit…and Tracy Island Lounge…and the Tiger's rear cockpit.

Brains was whirling in and out of scenarios so quickly that his body began bruising as each chair or console slammed into him. Finally he seemed to be surrounded by every simulation he'd ever created, as though they were all trying to load at once. And before he could even process what was occurring, the pictures faded, leaving nothing but a black background lined with a red digital grid in their place. He found himself standing upon a surface. It looked as though he were in a square room. The floor, ceiling and walls all looked the same…bright, glowing red lines criss-crossing to form perfect little squares.

He moaned as aches and pains began making themselves known. "Now what?"

CHAPTER SIX

"My God!" Scott cried as Thunderbird 1 approached the island.

"What? Scott? What is it?!?" came Virgil's frantic voice.

Scott's mouth hung open as he took in the scene that grew closer with every passing second. His home, the beautiful villa nestled against the mountain on Tracy Island, was no more. Flames leapt from the destroyed structure as smoke billowed into the sky. When he turned his face from the left viewing port to the right, he could see a jet disappearing. His face taking on a look of steely determination, Scott changed course and headed after it.

"John?" he said, ignoring standard bandwidth protocol.

John's face appeared on the screen in front of him. "Scott, where are you? What's happened?"

"Scott, what do you see?" Virgil's voice joined in.

"The house has been destroyed. By the look of it, I'd say it was bombed. There's a jet making a fast getaway. I'm going after it."

"My God," John whispered. "When the vid went blank, I-I-"

"No," Virgil said. "Are…are they still alive?"

"I'll try to raise them," John offered.

Scott waited impatiently, stubbornly refusing to allow his mind to process the worst-case scenario he feared was true. Surely his father or Tin-Tin would've figured out the danger and escaped to safety. They couldn't be dead…them, Kyrano, Grandma. They just couldn't.

"I can't raise them, Scott," came John's uncertain voice.

"Virgil, get down there and see if you can find them!" Scott barked. "I'm almost on the jet now."

"F.A.B.!" Virgil replied.

"Scott! Heads up!" John yelled. "Four bogeys, all points, 100 miles out!"

"Dammit!" Scott growled.

"Scott, should we assist?"

"No, Virgil. You get down to Base. If John can't raise them…you have to find them. I need you to find them!"

He could hear the hesitation as Virgil replied, "Scott…"

"No arguments! Go!"

There was a moment's silence. Scott had overtaken the fleeing jet. He heard Virgil finally reply, "F.A.B.", but his mind was now on his target.

"You sonofabitch," he swore, his voice full of anger. "Whoever you are, if you've killed my father…so help me God…"

"VRVS, this is Brains. VRVS on."

He waited. The grid seemed to fade a bit, but nothing else happened. What could he do?

"Think. You're a genius. Think!" he ordered himself aloud. Not only was he trapped in God-knew-where, but everyone on the island was in danger, if Kyrano's statements and rapid departure were any indication. How he wished he were there to help them, whatever it was that was happening. "There has to be a solution."

And then it hit him.

"VRVS, this is Brains. Copy program Tracy Island Simulation Scenario One to new file, Tracy Island Simulation Scenario Two."

The grid blinked off and then on again. Brains couldn't be sure his plan would work, but he had to try something.

"VRVS, display coding, Tracy Island Simulation Scenario Two."

The red gridlines disappeared. Continuous lines of white letters, numbers and symbols, representing the hard-coded programming of the scenario, covered the walls, floor and ceiling.

Brains scanned the coding, searching for the error that wasn't allowing the scenarios to load. "It's got to be in here!" he cried out. He read fast…faster than most humans…but still felt he was going much too slowly. There were over 500,000 lines of code to get through!

"I have to find it," he mumbled. "I just have to."

"Scott, they're only fifty miles out now!"

"I know, John, I know. I have 'em on my scanners."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've got this bastard in my sights now. Anything from Virgil?"

"No, not yet. He's just landed, they're heading for the house now."

"Have you found Dad or the others yet?"

"No, I can't pick them up on GPS either."

A glimmer of hope awoke within Scott. Unless his father's watch had been completely destroyed, the only reason John wouldn't be able to pick up his signal would be…

"John! The bunker! Shelter 4! If they got inside that mountain before the bombs hit, it could be blocking Dad's signal!"

"I'll recalibrate. Scott, they're almost on you! They're readying weapons…armed to the teeth with missiles! Get outta there!"

"Shit!" Scott swore, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. No way did he want to let the jet out of his sight, but could he withstand an onslaught of missiles from those other aircraft? In Thunderbird 1, he could outrun them, but…

"John, keep this guy in your sights. Do what you have to do, but don't lose him!"

"F.A.B. I've almost got the sensors recalibrated."

Scott swung Thunderbird 1 around and headed directly for the four approaching craft. They were now all coming from the west, in attack formation. "Time to make your heads spin, boys," he smiled. Thunderbird 1 streaked above them so fast it took several minutes for the planes to respond. They all turned and headed after it, with the jet on their heels.

"They're all on you, Scott!"

"What type of missiles are we talkin' here?"

"Bad news, Scott. Long-range, heat sensing. Even if you outrun 'em, they're gonna stick to your tail like glue!"

"My luck," he ground out. "How about those sensors?"

"Just finished. Sweeping now."

Scott swung around again. No matter what happened, his first priority was to keep those fighters away from the island…away from his family. He just wished he knew if everyone was okay.

"Got him!" John crowed. "You're right, Scott, it's faint, but it's coming from Shelter 4! I think they made it!"

Scott almost laughed out loud in relief. "Let Virgil know. They may be injured and in need of help."

"Scott, they're firing! Four hot ones! They've picked up your trail, they're on you!"

"Don't worry, I'll get rid of 'em. Just get through to Virgil about Dad."

"F.A.B."

Scott had an idea. He'd have to handle his beloved ship like he'd never done before, but in his mind, he could do it. "All right you," he said, addressing the four small blips on his radar that represented the missiles, "let's see how good you really are."

"I found it!" Brains whooped. "I found it, I found it! VRVS! This is Brains! Create manual interface with coding!"

A panel appeared on the far wall. Brains ran to it, muttering, "Line twenty-two thousand, five hundred two."

His fingers flew across the panel. He continued looking above his head, where the line of programming rested, to check his progress. "Only a few more changes…"

Just as he finished and saved the program, he felt it again…that feeling. He turned in a circle, looking around for someone. But of course, no one was there.

"Kyrano?"

Yes, Brains, it is I. I sensed you near.

"Kyrano, what happened?"

We were attacked. The house has been destroyed.

Brains paled. "Is everyone…all right?"

I believe so, but we are not out of danger yet. Virgil, Alan and Gordon are with us now. But Thunderbird 1 is under attack in the air.

"Under attack? By whom?"

We do not know. Are you all right?

"Yes, yes, I'm okay. I think I've gotten this thing working now. Is the house completely destroyed?"

I am afraid it looks that way. John is reporting there are four planes armed with missiles, and four missiles have launched at Thunderbird 1.

Brains' hand worked his mouth and chin as his mind raced. "Kyrano, I need Tin-Tin down at the VRVS."

There were a few moments of silence before Kyrano replied, I have spoken with Mr. Tracy. We are all going to Thunderbird 2 hangar in case the fighters attack the island. Tin-Tin will be at the machine shortly.

Brains knew Thunderbird 2, the only other Thunderbird that was armed, wasn't fast enough to dodge missiles. Even if Scott could shake them, the planes could very well return to the island. The only way he could think of to save International Rescue from certain destruction was to somehow make the attacking planes think they had bigger firepower than they actually did.

Just like that, he had a solution. Brains knew he had to act fast. What he was contemplating was the most outlandish idea he'd ever had. But from his point-of-view, it was the only way out of this mess.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner?" he wondered aloud as he headed back to the Control Panel.

Think of what? came Kyrano's thoughts.

Brains had all but forgotten his presence. "Kyrano, listen to me very carefully. I need you to relay every word of what I say to Tin-Tin."

I will do my best.

"This will work," Brains said, more to convince himself than anything. "It just has to.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Scott raced high up into the sky, then slowed Thunderbird enough for the missiles to catch up to him. John had been relaying the action to his father down on Tracy Island. Now, as Scott prepared to rid himself of the missiles, his father's concerned voice wafted over the airwaves. It was a voice he was more than glad to hear.

"Scott! This is your father!"

"Hang on, Dad, I've got some fancy flyin' to do!"

"What're you up to?"

Scott smiled. Would his father ever stop worrying so much? Although, at this point, Scott himself was probably just as worried. "It's good to hear your voice, Father. I'll be back at you in a minute."

Scott jerked at the controls and flipped Thunderbird 1 so she was now screaming down toward the ocean. He moved just far enough away from the missiles so they could turn to follow his jet stream, then slowed the ship to wait for them to catch up. His breath was coming fast and sweat poured down his forehead.

"Scott! Where are you? Are you okay?!?"

He shook his head. "Virg, gimme a minute, will ya?"

"Scott, what are you doing? John says the missiles are right on your tail!"

"I'm about to kill some fish," Scott replied as the four blips on his screen moved closer. To the far left of the radar, he could see the five enemy aircraft approaching. "Tell Gordon not to be pissed."

"Scott?" Jeff bellowed.

"Scott!" Virgil yelled.

He flipped his communicator off. How the hell was he supposed to do this with them yelling in his ears, for God's sake? His eyes still on the radar screen, he said, "Okay, bad boys, come to Papa…4…3…2…1…go!"

Scott jammed Thunderbird 1 into a nosedive. As he watched the dark waters of the ocean grow nearer, adrenaline coursed through his body, causing him to shake. "Come on, baby, come on, you can do it."

The silver bullet screamed downward with the missiles only a quarter-mile behind.

"Closer…" Scott said, "closer…"

Scott would later swear he could feel the tug of water on Thunderbird 1's red-tipped nose as he pulled her out of the dive and skimmed right over the ocean's surface. The missiles dove in with a splash and Scott could hear muffled explosions as water blasted upwards less than a mile behind him.

His body sagged into the chair in relief, but his respite was short-lived. The five planes were so close he could see them out his port-viewing window.

"Shit!" He flipped his communicator on. "John! How many more missiles are there?"

"Scott? What the hell happened, are you crazy?"

"How many missiles?"

"Twenty-eight, by my count. Dad's hopping mad that you cut off."

"Damn right I am," Jeff's stern voice sounded in his ears.

"Sorry, Father. I couldn't take all the yelling. Distracts a guy."

"Are you all right? We heard the explosions from here!"

"Sure, I got rid of the four on my tail. They took a swim."

"Scott, get ready, four more comin' at ya!" John said.

He brought Thunderbird 1's nose up 'til she was pointed toward the heavens again and opened the throttle. "Father, you guys have any ideas back there? They're not gonna fall for that one again."

"We're working on something. Just try to keep clear of those missiles. Brains and Tin-Tin may have your solution soon."

"Brains? You've found him?"

"In a manner of speaking…"

Just outside Thunderbird 2's hangar on the tarmac, Jeff turned to where Tin-Tin was re-attaching the Control Panel to the VRVS machine. "How's it going, Tin-Tin?"

"Fine, Mr. Tracy. I've made the modifications as Brains asked. It should allow us to project a virtual reality image outward, like a movie projector. And Brains should be able to come along for the ride. It sure is a good thing the VRVS wasn't completely destroyed." As Jeff nodded his assent, she turned to Kyrano. "Father, is Brains ready?"

He smiled. "He says, my child, that he is as ready as he'll ever be."

Jeff turned to Virgil, Gordon and Alan. "Okay, you three, be prepared. If Brains does come popping out of that thing, there's no telling where he'll land."

"Sure thing, Father," Gordon replied. He walked out toward the end of the runway while Virgil and Alan fanned out to either side.

Jeff climbed into Seat 1 of the VRVS. He placed the glasses on his head and pulled the gloves onto his hands.

"Good luck, Father!" Virgil yelled.

Jeff gave a mock salute. "Okay, Tin-Tin. I'm ready."

Tin-Tin looked at her father, who said, "Five second countdown. Five…four…three…two…one…zero!"

She brought the machine to life. The sixty-inch view screen had been tilted upward toward the sky. A blinding white light shot out of it. Suddenly, they could hear Brains' voice.

"VRVS! Load Tracy Island, Simulation Scenario Two! Look out, folks! Here I come!"

Kyrano staggered as his mental connection to Brains was abruptly severed. Tin-Tin watched the upturned screen as a picture began projecting itself into the air above them. It almost looked like an old stealth bomber, sleek, black and triangular, and was as large as Tracy Island itself!

"Mr. Tracy, can you see the control panel?" Tin-Tin asked.

"I'm in it!" Jeff said. "It must be working!"

"Where's Brains?" Alan yelled from the side. "He said he was coming!"

As if in answer to his question, a figure began falling from beneath the bomber.

"There he is!" Gordon yelled, running for the spot Brains was falling towards.

"He's two miles up, he'll be killed!" Virgil cried as he and Alan raced forward.

"You've got full power, Mr. Tracy," Tin-Tin yelled over the din. "Go!"

"Right. Let Scott know help is on its way!"

Suddenly Brains' vertical descent ceased. He seemed to hover for a moment before continuing his downward trek. When at last he landed on the tarmac, the brothers crowded around him.

"A jet pack!" Alan said, clapping him on the back. "Good thinking, Brains!"

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" Gordon smiled, shaking the engineer's hand.

"Yeah, Brains, what the heck happened?"

"I have a theory, Virgil, but first we have to make sure we scare these guys off for good. How's Mr. Tracy doing?"

"Fine," Tin-Tin replied. She surprised Brains by giving him a warm hug. "Welcome back. Scott's waiting for you to call in."

"Thank you, uh, Tin-Tin." Brains raised his wrist com to his face. "This is Brains calling Thunderbird 1."

Scott's face appeared on the watch. "Brains! You all right?"

"Sure thing, Scott. Okay, uh, now, your father is moving the virtual bomber in your direction. You should have visual any time now."

"Right, I see it in the distance. My God, it's huge!"

"Yes, it, uh, should be enough to at least give those guys a scare. Now here's what I want you to do..."

CHAPTER EIGHT

Scott raced toward the unbelievable ship looming before him. He had to keep reminding himself it was a virtual projection from the VRVS back on the island. "It looks so real!" he breathed as he passed beneath it.

"They're following you," John's voice came through.

"Good. Is Virgil in the air?"

"Two minutes from you, Scott," Virgil replied. "Gordon and I are on the turrets."

"You're letting Alan fly Thunderbird 2?" Scott asked incredulously.

"Don't think I'm happy about it, but I'm a better shot than he is."

"Me, too." Gordon said.

Alan's annoyed voice was heard next. "I heard that, Gordo. The only reason you're on turrets is because I'm a better pilot than you are."

Scott laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. I can see you now. John, I'm reading those fighters at six minutes out."

"Confirmed."

"All right, Alan," Scott said as Thunderbird 2 came along side Thunderbird 1. He looked out his port-viewing window and could see his brother at the controls of the great green ship. "Ready?"

Alan looked right back at him and smiled. "You got it. Let's go."

John's voice permeated both ships. "Good luck, fellas."

They lurched into motion. The fighters and the jet, having just gotten an eyeful of the impossibly large black triangle hanging in the sky before them, tried to grind their planes to a halt. But they continued forward, going right through the virtual projection. The pilots were stunned long enough for Thunderbird 1 to come from the right and Thunderbird 2 to come from the left. Before the fighters knew what was happening, Scott, Gordon and Virgil fired.

Kyrano gave a small cry and sank to his knees. His head held between his hands, he moaned in agony.

"Father!" Tin-Tin cried, rushing to his side. "Mr. Tracy, it's another attack!"

"Brains, stop this program!" Jeff ordered.

"Thunderbird 1 to Base."

Brains raised his arm and spoke into his communicator. "Brains here, Scott. What's the situation?"

"We got 'em," Scott replied. "All of 'em. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 returning to Base."

"F.A.B.!" Brains smiled. But his smile quickly turned into a frown as the VRVS began to hum. He dashed to the Control Panel and ended the program. "Get out, Mr. Tracy!" he cried, grabbing Jeff's arm and pulling hard. "Get out!"

Jeff ripped the glasses and gloves off, as the humming noise grew louder.

"Take cover!" Brains yelled.

He and Jeff, followed by Kyrano and Tin-Tin, had just enough time to make it inside the cliff hangar before the VRVS exploded. When at last they peeked back outside, there was nothing left of the machine but a lump of metal where once it sat and bits and pieces all over the runway.

"Thanks, Brains," Jeff said. "Guess that's the end of the VRVS."

Brains nodded. "A-And good riddance, too, I suppose."

Jeff ran to Kyrano, who seemed dazed…but not by the exploding machine. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"He-He's gone," Kyrano whispered.

"Who's gone, Father?"

Kyrano looked first at Tin-Tin, then into Jeff Tracy's eyes. "The Hood. He's gone."

EPILOGUE

The entire International Rescue team was assembled in the debriefing room of an underground complex located on the nearby island of Moyla, where, among other things, they kept a stash of supplies and parts for their machinery.

"Best we can figure, Brains, is when Kyrano contacted you, the Hood picked up on it and honed in our location. Knowing Kyrano's with International Rescue, it didn't take him long to use the new information to his advantage."

"But we've beaten him time and time again, we've even thought we've killed him a few times. He always seems to come back," Virgil said. "We only found four bodies in the ocean."

"He will not be coming back this time," Kyrano said. "I cannot apologize enough for what I have cost you."

"It wasn't your fault," Brains replied. "If I hadn't gotten trapped inside virtual reality, you wouldn't have been trying to contact me in the first place."

"And that wasn't your fault, Brains. We'll just have to make sure we have the mother of all circuit breakers when we rebuild."

"Good thing we've got this place on Moyla in the meantime," Gordon said.

"Yeah, and that none of International Rescue's equipment was damaged," Alan chimed in.

"We'll start cleanup tomorrow, boys," Jeff said.

"What was it like being inside that thing, Brains?" Scott asked.

"Well, uh, Scott, it was nothing if not interesting, to be certain. However, it's not an experience I wish to repeat. I have never felt so out of control. I-It's powerful technology…not something to be taken, uh, lightly."

"Precisely," Jeff said. "And that's why I think we might scrap the idea of a VRVS for the time being."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, can you imagine what would happen if the world realized it could project things like that huge bomber you made? Governments would never know whether the ships in the sky were real or fake."

Gordon opened his mouth, and then shut it.

"What's on your mind, son?"

"I never got to use the Thunderbird 4 simulation."

His brothers chuckled.

"Well, maybe Brains can make us another one," Jeff replied, smiling. "But not until he's certain no one can ever be sucked into it again."

"How on earth did you get sucked into it in the first place?" Virgil asked. "I mean, you're a human being…that was virtual reality. I don't get it."

"I-I'm going to, uh, write a thesis on just that," Brains replied. "You could, uh, take a look at it for your answers."

"Never mind. I probably wouldn't understand it anyway."

Everyone laughed as Gordon rose to his feet. "Okay, I'm making dinner. Who's hungry?"

A chorus of "I am!" and "Boy, I could sure eat!" was heard as most everyone followed Gordon into the mess hall.

Kyrano, still seated in his chair, looked up as Brains approached him. "I am glad you have returned safely," he said softly.

"Me, too," Brains replied. "But I'm only here because of you. Thank you."

Kyrano blushed and looked down.

"How did you do that, Kyrano? How did you talk to me that way?"

A smile upon his face, Kyrano closed his eyes. Brains started. He could almost hear Kyrano's voice in his head.

Like this.

"That's amazing," Brains said out loud.

You need not speak with your voice. Think what it is you wish to say.

Brains frowned. But I don't have your abilities, he thought.

Yes, you do. You have a powerful mind, Brains.

His eyes widened as Kyrano rose to his feet. "You heard me?"

The older man was looking directly at him. "Yes, I did. Come, let us join the others."

They entered the mess hall, where everyone was gathered at the large table that occupied most of the room. Kyrano looked at the fast-cook personal pizzas Gordon was serving up and made a face.

Suddenly, Brains burst into laughter. All eyes turned towards him. He laughed until tears began rolling down his cheeks.

"What the heck's gotten into you?" Scott asked. He had never seen Brains laugh so hard in his life.

Struggling to control himself, Brains wiped the tears from his face and took a seat next to Alan. "Nothing, I-I'm sorry, a-a moment of, uh, insanity about the pizzas."

"Well, you know what they say about genius," Gordon grinned.

Kyrano seated himself across the table from Brains. Unable to help himself, the engineer chuckled at the look on his face. Kyrano looked up at the others, who were still stealing glances at the two. His face flushed as he turned back to look right into Brains' eyes.

Don't ever tell anyone I thought that.