Chapter 1- The Nightmare Begins

June 6, 2068. A brilliant day for the residents of Planet Earth. It had been only 3 years since International Rescue formed but only 2 months since they defeated the most dangerous and evil man in the world the Hood and saved Las Vegas which grew up to be the very city that was now Capital City and was also about to be crushed. After a long time, the Hood was ready for revenge.

The citizens fled as a troop of soldiers stormed the streets, invading buildings and dragging away anyone who dared to defy them. It was a nightmare indeed--the Hood had come back to town...and he was dead set on invading it.

In a matter of minutes, the whole city was enslaved. The Hood laughed with glee as he shouted "The world is mine! Mine, mine, mine, MINE!"

Like most cities on Earth, Capital City had been turned into Hood territory. But somewhere out there on Tracy Island which was in the south pacific, there was hope. The Tracys were growing up and starting families of their own in the brink of the Hood's invasion. Like their parents, they had started out small but soon, very soon, their destiny and that of the world would be fulfilled.

Chapter 2- Meet The Tracys

It was just another beautiful morning in the untouched section of Tracy Island in 2085, not far from the Hood's fledgling empire. Two bluebirds flew in to perch on the branch of a tall but dainty tree house singing a cheerful tune that would energize all that is living and all that is happy. But inside the house, there was only one person not ready for a new day.

"Ricky, wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

In his bedroom, a dark haired blue eyed young man was in deep deep sleep. Unaware of his mother coming up the stairs to arouse him from his long catnap, the young man had no idea what today was. It was June 6 2085--his 17th birthday and the 20th anniversary of his grandfather's orginisation International Rescue.

His mother, Penelope Tracy (nee Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward), walked over to the bed. She shook him gently whispering "Good morning, birthday boy," She waited for him to wake up and listen to her greeting. No response. Frustrated, Penny continued sternly. "Eric Morgan Tracy, how many times have I told you not to stay up late? Look at you now--sleeping like a bear and missing out on your 17th year."

The young man stirred from his sleep and got up slowly. He had a striking resemblance to both his famous father and his equally famous grandfather because of his dark hair but he also had a straight nose like his mother. Another hint of his grandfather's legacy, he had deep blue eyes but had a modern 80s rock star dress sense. Rubbing the sleep from his dark blue eyes, Ricky groaned "Mom...do I have to get up like this?"

"You have to," replied Penny. "Now, hurry up and get dressed--your oatmeal's getting cold."

"But I'm already dressed!" yelled Ricky in exasperation.

Penny sighed. Among the dumbest teenagers in all the world and on her famous father-in-law's island, Ricky was one of them. He had been the oldest of his cousins being born on his grandfather's secret orginisation's 3rd anniversary and despite his status as the firstborn cousin, he didn't add up to be the firstborn cousin. But there was some bit of good news: it had become a tradition among the Tracy family that the oldest child in the clan gets to marry before his or her cousins or siblings do--her husband Scott had started that custom. Of course, Penny was very desperate to convince Ricky to get married and bless her with many grandchildren whether he likes it or not.

Ricky was starting to go down the stairs when he heard a tiny bark coming from the hallway. Then, a small floating grey robot with dog-like ears (and a star on its back) flew in and buzzed around Ricky's head. He smiled and said "Oh, hey, Braham." The floating robot named Braham barked happily and began flying away downstairs. A month after this very day 20 years ago, Braham was a robot but his memories were downloaded into the robot that his uncle Virgil's wife Claire invented and like most robots, Braham was the only machine that was named after the original robot that was made by his grandfather's scientific advisor in 2065.

"Say 'cheese'!"

FLASH! Ricky yelled as he covered his eyes to shield them from a flash of bright light from the camera. The person holding the camera and taking a picture of the startled raccoon was his uncle John's 16 year old daughter Sarah Marie Tracy A.K.A. 'Sally'.

"God, Sally," shouted Ricky. "You can't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, Ricky." replied Sally.

Like her father to her uncle Scott, Sally and her twin brother Neil were a year younger than Ricky. As a photographer, Sally's pretty blue eyes earned her the nickname 'Bright Eyes'. Following her cousin down the stairs, Sally asked "Excited that the big day has finally arrived?"

"Yeah," Ricky scoffed. "The day when that picture you took ends up in the headlines..."

Neil sighed from beside Ricky and said "Today is June the 6th--the 20th anniversary of International Rescue and your 18th birthday, remember?"

Ricky just walked off without even answering. It was only one of these days that he couldn't stand to listen to any of his cousins brag about anything especially birthdays. And Sally had been doing that for as long as he could remember.

Sitting at the table were 15 other people enjoying their breakfast. None of the International Rescue agents of 2065 were the robust heroes they used to be in their heyday as they were all now in their ealry to mid 40s. But in spite of all that, there was still a little bit of youth in their blood and the Tracy brothers never failed to continue playing the sports they enjoyed when they were growing up. Penny, John's wife Bonnie, Claire, Gordon's wife Monqiue and Alan's wife Tin-Tin were in the same state. They had become gentle middle aged ladies with a taste for culinary creations.

And there was Jeff Tracy--the Tracy brothers father, Penny, Bonnie, Claire, Monique and Tin-Tin's father-in-law and the Tracy teens grandfather. Right beside him were Virgil's daughter Kim, Gordon's son Troy and Alan and Tin-Tin's daughter Tara. They were all on the way to being future International Rescue agents and there was no doubt that those kids loved to work together and with their cousins.

Noticing Ricky, Jeff said, "Why, Ricky! Awake already?"

"Yeah, Grandpa," muttered Ricky walking over to his seat next to his favorite cousin Kim. "Just another boring day on Tracy Island."

Scott said happily "It won't be boring for long."

"What do you mean, Dad?" asked Ricky.

Scott replied "Well, now that you're 17, the oldest cousin in the family and you were also born on International Rescue's 20th anniversary. I'm only 46 years old, the Thunderbirds leader for the past 20 years and, believe it or not, I'm also starting to get really old! All that stress is getting on my nerves night and day and both me and your mom wanna end it all by saying this: we want you to get married."

Ricky's eyes widened in disbelief. He stuttered "But Mom, I-I-I..."

"Yes, Ricky dear," said Penny. "That's you who should be settling down. All I wanted in my life is a reliable daughter-in-law to be there for me and beautiful grandchildren to keep me company for as long as I live."

John added "We all agree since you're the oldest kid now. For us, we need a niece-in-law and great-nieces and nephews."

Ricky was reluctant to get married. He was barely out of High School, single and loved staying that way--his only true love was his profession as a metal singer and he never let any woman get into his life. He said furiously "No way in Hell am I going down the aisle! I'm single and I wanna stay single. Why, even if you put the most bodacious babe by my side, I'll--"

"Don't even think about it, Ricky." said Kim reading a fashion magazine. Even though she was her grandfather's favorite grandchild, 15 year old Kim was always in charge of her cousins. Her green eyes and brown hair always seemed to reflect her personality.

Suddenly, the videophone started ringing. Scott shouted "I'll get it!" He ran out to get the phone and said "Hello!"

"Hey, Scott!" said a voice on the other end of the videophone line. The Tracy cousins all came up to their oldest cousin Ricky 46 year old father who was on the videophone but Scott just ignored them.

Ricky said "But, Dad, our hug..."

"Later, Ricky," replied Scott turning to his only son. "I'm in a really busy mood right now." Turning to the videophone, he continued "And great to hear from you again, Frank. So, how are things going for you?"

"Great, Scott," said Franklin 'Frank' Benedict's voice. "I just got my favorite mechanic and son Frank Jr promoted yesterday."

"Really?" asked Scott. "Wow, that's great! And about Nadia?"

"Nothing special," replied Frank. "Last Sunday, we saw her sister Annette down in Capital City."

"What was it like up there?" asked Scott.

"I heard that it has been already invaded by your dad's worst enemy but you'll never guess how much fun me and Nadia had at Annette's," said Fank. "We baby-sat her kids and got to take them to the park."

"How many children did she have?" asked Scott.

"Six--2 boys, 4 girls." said Frank.

"Wow," said Scott. "Bye, Frank."

Looking up from his coffee, John said "Shame the Hood and his soldiers took Brains away."

"We know, John," Virgil sighed. "We were at a restaurant in South Park, Colorado after a successful mission and when the city was invaded, the soldiers busted in the restaurant, snatched Brains away from me and we never saw him again!"

They all gasped in shock. Bonnie said "I only saw Brains twice but is that true? Was he really kidnapped by the soldiers?"

"I could confirm it," replied Claire. "But then, yet again, I wouldn't. Besides, I don't even know where the Hood's new headquarters are located."

Just then, Jeff's eyes lit up. He stood up from his chair with a start and shouted bravely "No one, not even the Hood himself, ever lays their hands on our Brains! If the Hood rules the world with an iron fist, that's fine but when it comes to messing with a member of International Rescue, he's gone too far!"

"Yeah," 13 year old Troy agreed. "What this world needs is freedom--and lots of it."

Gordon frowned at Troy. He didn't like it when his over-eager son wanted to join in the plans to get rid of the Hood for good. But somehow, he had to let him do so. Gordon sighed and said "Okay, Troy, you and your cousins can go. But we want you to remember this: as long as you're on this journey, you alone have to protect us--we don't want the Hood to notice that we're challenging his power. So, for that, we're gonna have to hide out in the farther side of a Malaysian jungle and that place...is Nevergreen."

"Nevergreen?" asked Monique. "You're a scientist, Claire, can you tell us what that is?"

"According to legend," answered Claire. "Nevergreen's the long-lost part of that jungle where the Hood's lair is and the only territory my 8 times great-grandpa Seamus O' Hara never dared to explore. It had been named the most dangerous part of that country ever since the Ice Age 'cause with the presence of tar pits, merciless predators and quicksand, woolly mammoths and sabertooths never prospered. It's the only place we can hide in but we'll have to depend on you to shelter us from any dangers that surprise us in Nevergreen. And since Ricky's the oldest kid in the family, it's his responsiblity to do so."

Ricky nodded and said "Okay, Aunt Claire. I'll try..."

So began the journey of our 6 young rebels on a quest to defeat the Hood and restore peace to the world. Can they make it to victory? Only time will tell. But until then, the world remains the Hood's alone and freedom will not come until he is vanquished once and for all.

Chapter 3- Caught!

They were not the only ones to find out about the Lost Forest for one of the birds on the branch appeared to be a robot. After recording the information, it flew away and headed for a tall, dark grey castle in the distance. From the window, an old bald man recieved the bird and pressed the button to play back the recorded message.

In it, Dr Claire Tracy's voice said "Nevergreen's the long-lost part of that jungle where the Hood's lair is and the only territory my 8 times great-grandpa Seamus O' Hara never dared to explore. It had been named the most dangerous part of that country ever since the Ice Age 'cause with the presence of tar pits, merciless predators and quicksand, woolly mammoths and sabertooths never prospered..."

The bald man was none other than the Hood, the most evil man in the world. At hearing the message, the Hood said evilly "Well, what do we have here? The news about the Lost Forest called Nevergreen! I've been waiting many years to search for the Lost Forest. Nevergreen will be next in line for my empire! TROOPS!"

Three troops came running into the room. They were two men, one with brown hair and another with red hair and a blonde woman and they all wore military clothing of some sort. The tallest of them, the brown haired troop, said "Yes, Mr Hood--I mean, General Hood?"

"Did you ever hear of the Lost Forest?" asked the Hood.

The three troops shook their heads saying "No, sir. What is it?"

The Hood replied, peering into a high-tech telescope "I heard Dr Claire Tracy telling her daughter, nieces and nephews about Nevergreen, the Lost Forest. I have been dying to get my hands on that territory and I will need someone to scout it out for me. But who?"

The redheaded troop said "Ain't Alan Tracy's daughter your great half-niece, Boss?"

The Hood had no ordinary idea that one of his enemy's grandchildren was his great half-niece but despite her mother's status as his current only living blood relative, he always referred to her as an enemy. He said "So...one of them is my great half-niece, is she? Well, I am going to use her and her cousins to look for Nevergreen. And I think I know how..." He snapped his fingers and soon a group of soldiers gathered around him. He continued "Set out for the forest and place a trap for Jeff Tracy and his relatives. They will be my secret weapons for invading Nevergreen and keeping order in my empire. But I am not going to send you off without a leader."

In the corner typing on a computer was Brains. He would've felt like escaping the Hood's authority but due to a bug-shaped microchip on the right side of his head, he was unable to rebel against him and forced to work for him. Cleverly called a "psychochip", it was one of many devices of the same kind the hood used to control the minds of the residents of his expansive empire. Once a certain person has a psychochip implanted on the side of his or her head, that same person thinks of nothing but his or her master and becomes his permanent slave unless it is pulled right off.

"Brains," said the Hood. "Bring in...Captain Melissa Anders."

Pressing a red button, Brains replied "Y-yes, Hood."

The steel security doors opened and a small dark haired woman marched in. She was about half an inch taller than the blonde troop, also wore a green jacket (with a small yellow star badge) and like Brains, she was implanted with a psychochip. The woman looked up at the Hood and muttered with a slight Brooklyn accent "General Hood?"

"Good," said the Hood. "You are here. I want you to lead these soldiers to the forest and help them set a trap in its premises. The family will be expected to sit by Evergreen Lake at precisely 1:15 pm so when the time finally comes, you get the jump on them. Got that?"

"Yeah, I'll do that," said Melissa as she then turned to the soldiers and beckoned them to follow her outside the castle. As the soldiers left through the doors, the Hood rubbed his hands and said "I cannot wait to see the look on the Tracy's faces when they find out what it is like to be caught by General Belah Gaat..."

Surely enough, it was exactly 1:15pm and the Tracy family had already settled down on the shoreline of Evergreen Lake in Toronto, Canada. Penny, Bonnie, Claire, Monique and Tin-Tin were all busy frosting both the anniversary cake and Ricky's birthday cake while Jeff and his sons sat by the pool to watch the day go by. The six Tracy cousins were swimming in the lake never knowing they would soon be captured.

Ricky, wearing his lucky swimming shorts, ran straight for the lake. Leaping off the ledge, he shouted "CANNONBALL!"

Sally, Neil, Kim, Troy and Tara were in the water and had always expected their brother to make a splash. Neil muttered "Here comes Asteroid Tracy..." The moment Ricky landed in the water, a huge wave loomed over Sally who screamed and attempted to swim away quickly. Too late--the wave pummeled her and tossed her back onto the shore. Wet and angry, she looked back at Ricky and shouted "You shouldn't be making waves like that, Ricky!"

Ricky scoffed and replied "Who cares? I own this lake since my dad gave it to me on my 10th birthday and as long as you're swimming in it, just be sure to learn how to surf!"

"And wash your mouth with soap," added Kim sarcastically. "That'll be good advice."

Ricky gave Kim a dirty look and shook his fist at her. Making fun of a cousin or sibling is one thing but when he or she makes a witty comeback, you're thrown in for a loop. Finally, they heard Penny calling them: "Children, time for both the anniversary cake and Ricky's birthday cake!"

The six Tracy cousins went back to the shore and got dressed in their usual clothes. Jeff had just started to light up the candles on Ricky's cake. He said "Is everyone ready? One, two, three..."

Everyone in the group started to sing bot "Happy Anniversary" to their orginisation and "Happy Birthday" to Ricky. Only Troy and Tara had their own version of "Happy Birthday" for Ricky:

Happy birthday to you,
You belong in a zoo,
You look like a monkey
And you act like one too

Ricky frowned at his youngest two cousins humorous song. Ricky blew out the candles and the rest of the family applauded. Alan said hungrily "So, how's about some of that cake?"

"Not yet, Alan," said Tin-Tin. "We had taken our lunch with us and we have to eat that first. Good thing I made this special World's Fair winner...Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jelly Pie!"

Everyone looked at the dessert and commented on its sweet smell--it would take them longer enough to realize why that pie won First Place in the World's Fair. Soon, they were eating their lunch of fried chicken, apples, bananas, chocolate chip cookies and some lemonade. After the picnic was over, Ricky got up to explore the forest for a bit. He was still munching on a drumstick when he stopped. His ears perked up to hear a beautiful singing voice from beyond...

O Canada! Our home and native land,
True patriot love in all thy sons command,

He pinched himself hard. Is it the voice of a babe singing the national anthem of his favorite childhood place and his birth country Canada which he liked along side any of the latest rock songs he loved so much? Ricky, curious as he was, started to investigate the origin of the singing.

With glowing hearts, we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free,
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee,

Deeper and deeper into the bushes did Ricky peer through to find out who was singing the anthem. As he did this, he thought I gotta be dreaming. Whoever that babe is, she woulda been a knockout.

God keep our land
Glorious and free!

Upon coming near the spot, he heard a rush of water nearby. This was his chance to reveal the singer's identity. "I hope she's a babe fit to be Miss Canada."

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee;
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

All at once, he peeked through the bushes with an "Aha!" But one second later, he retreated back with a girlish "AAAH!" Standing there by a river was the most revolting thing he had ever seen...a woman who was about the same height as his with black hair, olive skin and large blue eyes in a blue skirt suit and matching high heels. Ricky looked back at the figure once more and shuddered. The woman looked up at him and their eyes met. She was clutching her purse in her hand when she noticed Ricky. The woman smiled at him and said "Hi."

"Oh," said Ricky smiling nervously. "Uh...hi. You're a pretty damn good singer...aren't you?"

"Yeah." the woman said as she gazed at Ricky.

Anyway, my name's Ricky Tracy--what's yours?"

"Eldona West." said Eldona cooly.

"Whoa, that sounds like a pretty name," Ricky said making Eldona smile. "My family and I are on our way to Nevergreen, the Lost Forest. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah," said Eldona. "It's way over there in that far-off valley beyond you but if it wasn't for International Rescue saving me in 2066, I would've died there."

"In that case, your family must've lived there," said Ricky cooly. "Speaking of which, do you know any relatives that know a lot about Nevergreen?"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a series of screams. Then, he heard Sally shouting "Ricky! Where are you? We're being kidnapped!" It was his family calling for help. Ricky rushed off to save them, but then a net made him realize he was the victim too. As he was being dragged away, Ricky shouted to Eldona "Avenge me!"

Eldona just looked on and pulled a walkie-talkie out of her purse and pressed a button. To her, Ricky was just probably an agent of International Rescue since she had met his father 19 years previously and it would be only a matter of time before she will actually rescue him and his family by those two words echoing in her mind.

Chapter 4- The Escape

Never in their whole lives had the family expected to be thrown in the dungeon of the Hood's headquarters. They were innocent--they didn't even know why they were there in the first place. A sinister voice answered their question: "So, how do you like my new dungeon?"

They looked up and saw the Hood standing there with two soldiers standing guard. Recognizing the old ruthless bald man, Jeff said "It's you! The Hood! I thought we got rid of you years ago!"

"Surprised?" asked the Hood with a chuckle. "That is what I thought. It was 17 years ago that you, thanks to your family and friends and my late half-brother Kyrano--"

Tin-Tin retorted "Leave my late father out of this!"

"My mission to destroy International Rescue failed," the Hood continued. To Tin Tin, he murmured "You will be fried for interupting, my dear."

Alan said "What are you planning to do with us now that you've got us all here in this mess?"

"Glad you asked," replied the Hood. "You defeated me not only once but twice. And now, in retaliation for all that has happened to me, I have no choice but to pick six people for the most important job of their lives."

They looked at each other confused. Then, Jeff said "Who?"

"The Tracy cousins!"

They gasped in horror. How did he know their names even though he never met them? "One of the cousins here with you happens to be my great half-niece but they are the right heirs chosen for the right job. Their mission: to seek out Nevergreen."

"Don't even think about it!" shouted Tara.

"And anyway," added Troy. "If we had any sense to make out of this conversation, we'd cut ourselves off from your family tree!"

Holding up a psychochip, the Hood replied "Too late, children. Once I have psychochips installed in your brains, you will not think of doing that any more. Even though you are six rotten children, there is every drop of my blood flowing in Tara's veins and there is no denying it. I was made to be rich...and I want my descendants, my young heirs--that is you--to carry on tmy family name by taking what will soon be ours and not give it up."

Ricky and his five cousins were very reluctant to surrender to their Tara's great half-uncle's commands. Long ago when Tin-Tin married Alan, she promised to keep peace in the family by refusing to follow in the Hood's footsteps--she told Tara to follow her example of keeping her distance from any one of the Hood's evil tricks. So, Ricky gave him only one bold answer: "KISS MY ASS!"

"What do you mean 'kiss my ass'?" questioned the Hood.

"We're not gonna obey you, Baldy," said Troy. "Ever since hearing about the invasion of the world and the kidnapping of Brains, we've turned our heads towards the Lost Forest, to find it before you do."

"Rebels, are you?" said the Hood. "Well, I know how to take care of pesky rebels like you!"

"You'll never keep us in! We were born to revolt!" said Kim.

Melissa, who was standing by the Hood, snapped "Cram it, you kids!"

The Tracy cousins hushed up, startled by the American commander's shrill and firm voice. Finally, after a soul-searching pause, Neil muttered "Who's that brunette bitch?"

"This," said the Hood introducing Melissa. "Is the most ruthless and most advanced female terrorist from the deepest, darkest forests of America...Commander Melissa Anders."

One of Neil's biggest downfalls is his failure to recognize and pronounce foreign last names but knew Anders wasn't one of them. He muttered "Anders, eh? Are you related to the dude who once kidnapped my dad and Brains?"

Melissa sighed in exasperation "Damn right I am."

"I am giving you until midnight," continued the Hood. "To agree to my plans for world domination. Come 12:00pm and you are still saying 'no', you are dead. And it is even worse if you try to escape. Melissa, watch these prisoners until midnight and let me know if they are getting away."

Melissa saluted the Hood and replied "Yes, Sir," As soon as the Hood left the dungeon, Melissa heaved a sigh of relief. She muttered "God, I'd do anything to kill that son of a bitch..."

They were surprised. Even though she was wearing the psychochip, they had no idea that she was against the Hood herself. Sally asked "What's wrong?"

"The Hood," answered Melissa. "I've had enough of pretending to be under his spell."

"But...that psychochip..." said Bonnie.

Pulling the psychochip off of her head, Melissa muttered "Fake."

They became even more surprised than ever. Gordon said "So that means you're our ally?"

"Well, sure," she replied. "If you heard me talkin' to ya, you'd get the idea of stamping the Hood as a jerk. It all started in beautiful New York..." Here, she told them her tragic tale. "I was born and raised in the city of Brooklyn and I came from one of the most wealthiest families there and, true as it may be or not, I trace my ancestry all the way back to General Thomas Anders, the legendary solider who became Abe Lincoln's favorite advisor. Our noble bloodline was one of the best-kept secrets to our everlasting fame and we all boasted that nothing could tear us apart. But then, it happened..."

The Anders manor had been set on fire. Four-year-old Melissa watched in complete shock as the soldiers ransacked the whole place and attacked her relatives. One of them, her father, tried to get away. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers caught him escaping and tackled him. Melissa screamed and ran over to attempt to save him.

"Daddy!" she shouted.

"No, Melissa," her father muttered weakly. "They're too strong...we've been overcome. I want you to run, honey--run as far as you can go and whatever you do, don't look back!"

"Yes, Daddy," she replied. She started running off but then, a hand grabbed her by the collar of her blouse. A familiar voice snarled "You are not going anywhere, young lady. I have a special job for you..."

"He took me over to his home in the forest and forced me to wear the psychochip, so that I could be in his power. The psychochip transformed me into a killing machine--tough, heartless and with an appetite for pure murder. And so, for eight years, I was under his control. I never relented of all of my evil deeds 'til one day when I was twelve years old. The Hood had just caught two prisoner by the name of Lorenz Thompson and Richard Henshaw--"

The Tracy cousins cried in unison "Grandpa Jeff's best pals were here?"

"Yeah," answered Melissa. "I was told to guard 'em day and night, to make sure that they don't escape the dungeon. But Larry Thompson proved himself to be a godly man by using a screwdriver to pry off that horrid psychochip off himself and Rick Henshaw. For the first time in eight years, I felt guilty of all the wrong I had done when the Hood was in charge. And sure enough, I became good friends with 'em--I promised to let 'em out of the dungeon and tell 'em where to go and hide. Thompson told me he and Henshaw knew a perfect hiding place...the Valkenpawser home."

"What did they do next?" asked Monique.

Melissa continued "They asked me to create this fake psychochip and implante it into my brain which I did. It looks like the real thing but what's different about it is that it won't release cruelty hormones into your body to turn you into a villain. They then advised me to pretend to be cruel and ruthless so as not to appear out of place. And that's what I just did...'til you guys came here."

"Wow," said Virgil. "First, they rescued you and then you rescued them in return. You must've been some kind of a...hero."

"My family've always been heroes." said Melissa.

Claire said "Well, now that we've gotten a chance to know you, wouldn't it hurt if we introduce ourselves?"

"Nah," replied Melissa shaking her head. "I think I already know all your names."

"Then it would be a good idea if you can help set us free." said John.

Melissa nodded and went over to get the keys. After unlocking the prison door, she said "You're free to go now."

"Where are Rick and Larry?" said Scott as they walked out of the cell.

"They're staying at Valkenvania," replied Melissa. "Luckily, I told 'em about the fabled Lost Forest. Just look for decrepit houses, vent pipes and hillbillies--you can't miss it."

"How did you know about Nevergreen?" said Penny.

Shrugging her shoulders, Melissa said "I dunno. It must've been a legend. Follow me."

The family followed Melissa outside the window (which, luckily, had no bars installed) and down on the grounds of the courtyard. She ran off and then returned with a steel-iron box. Looking at it curiously, Ricky asked "What the hell's in that box?"

"Stuff for your journey." said Melissa. She opened the box and took out six vests, each with a yellow star pinned on them. She gave the vests to the Tracy cousins.

"Cool," said Ricky after putting one on. "Do I look like a real rocker in this thing, Melissa?"

"Sure," Melissa replied. "But first of all, they're not just ordinary vests." As she said that, she reached out to press the star on the vest Ricky was wearing. He instantly started to vanish in thin air. Melissa continued "The vest you're wearing right now gives you the power to conceal yourself and provide you with efficient camouflage."

Ricky muttered in awe "Cool...I'm invisible...just like the thief chick in Dungeons & Dragons!"

Sally scoffed "At least you'll be."

"Sally," said Melissa. "You're wearing the vest that grants you that same ability and are your brother and cousins. And here are these." Melissa gave them a handgun, a small notepad and something that looked like a hearing aid. She continued, "For Ricky and Sally, I give 'em a Belvedere each--that's a gun that not only serves as a weapon but also as a useful tool. For Neil and Kim, I give 'em the Encyclopad--it looks like an ordinary notepad but within it's got all the information in the world you would find anywhere. And for Troy and Tara..."

"Hearing aids." Tara guessed.

Melissa replied "That ain't no hearing aids, Tara--Brains calls 'em the Sound Bug. Once it's implanted in your ear, it gives you a wide range of crystal-clear sound. That way, you can hear someone step on a dry leaf 50 miles away."

"Sweet," said Troy. "I guess that's the meaning of the phrase 'cute as a bug on a sow's ear'!"

"And in closing," said Melissa. "I'll join you on your journey to Valkenvania and eventually to Nevergreen. The cost of the journey pays a heavy price on your lives, but if we can make it to our two destinations and prevent the Hood from conquering the entire world, there's a chance that you and all that surround you will live. Now the lesson's over and the journey begins!"

They cheered and went on their way only to hear the sound of the alarm going off. Soldiers stopped their security routine and began storming out of the castle. Kim said nervously "Maybe we shoulda started off nice and quiet..." They ran out of the courtyard and found the old Thunderbird craft with 5 more Thunderbird craft at the entrance. Without asking how it got there, they all piled in and drove off as fast as they could. The soldiers jumped on their motorcycles and sped after the Thunderbird craft.

The chase went on and on...until they arrived at an old village at the end of the road. Driving through the village, they didn't even pay attention to the stop sign as they exited the place, the soldiers following behind. When they looked back, they saw the soldiers stop, look around and then flee back to the Hood's lair.

Looking on, Neil said "I seem to wonder why the soldiers ran away from us even though they were chasing us in the first place."

"Beats me," said Jeff. "This place is probably haunted."

Penny said "I don't think the village back there is haunted. I just saw some people walking around."

Next thing they knew, they heard the siren. Jeff looked in the rearview mirror and gasped in shock. "The police! We'd better pull over!"

"Why pull over, Grandpa?" said Ricky. "All that lousy cop does is give tickets to speeding people."

Scott glared at Ricky and said "Cops ain't lousy, Ricky! How many times do I have to tell you not to disrespect community workers?"

"Sorry, Dad." said Ricky.

"We have to pull over and see what he wants," said Penny desperately. She shook Jeff's shoulder shouting "Damnit, Jeff! Pull over!"

But it was too late to pull over. Jeff was put into so much panic, he didn't know where he was driving. And surely enough, there was a large rock deep in the forest. Scott shouted "LOOK OUT!"

CRASH!!!

Chapter 5- Family Reunion

"Hey, Ricky...wake up, kid..."

A kind and gentle voice woke Ricky up. It was shortly after the accident but now that he and his family were still alive, he couldn't figure out where he was this time. He murmured, "Where the hell...are we?" He looked around. The walls were made of wood...dusty...and worst of all they smelled of rat droppings too. He found himself in the basement.

The door opened and a tall slender woman entered the room. She was 45 years old but she didn't look like she was actually in her mid-fourties. Ricky had a little feeling he'd seen that person before. She walked over to him and patted his head. She whispered sweetly "Are you okay?"

And that voice--he recognized that voice. Ricky mumbled "...Aunt Nadia?"

"Yeah," she replied. "It's me."

"But," he said looking around. "Where are my..."

"Oh, they're upstairs in the courtroom waiting for ya."

"Really?"

The woman, Nadia Benedict (nee Martelli), looked Ricky over and smiled happily. She commented, "Oh my God...look how much you have grown over the years! You were just a kid the last time me and Frank saw ya."

"Thanks, Aunt Nadia." replied Ricky.

Suddenly, Nadia looked at her watch and muttered "Okay. It's 8:00pm--time to face Judge Valkenpawser."

Ricky was confused. He said, "Judge...who?"

Ricky and the rest of his family were standing in the courtroom awaiting a short and easy trial. "All rise--court of Valkenvania is now in session. The honorable reeve Judge Alvin Valkenpawser presiding."

Loud rock music began to play and, as if by magic, the giant podium appeared in front of them. And so did the judge. After several minutes of introducing themselves and explaining the incident, Jeff said "Well, now that we've told you everything...would it be alright if you let us go?"

"Oh, yes," said the judge with a distinctive accent. "I will let you be on your way and when you go..." Then, he yelled "THE CAT'S EYES'LL SPIN! NOW LISTEN!"

Daunted by the harsh yelling, Scott slinked back and muttered "Okay...we'll listen."

The judge appeared to be about the same age as Scott with mischevious grey eyes that contained all his long-lost youth. His name was Alvin Valkenpawser, the leader of the village the family had driven through. He took one look at them, then he exclaimed "Hey, hey, ha! Ho ha! Heh heh heh heh! Hoola, Hoola, Hoola! The Boola Boola Boola! Look who's got the front seats to the Mexican hat dance now! Just like a bunch of spiders in a birthday cake!"

They were surprised. The court was, in fact, ruled over by a judge...an ancient but crazy judge. He continued "You might be interested to know that you are not under the jurisdiction of just any old fishing license dispenser and stamp pad jockey! We've always been set to deal with the offenders once and for all at their first appearance! Quick as sump grease through a ten-year old goose!"

"Congratulations," said Penny. "I'm glad to know things are running smoothly for you. Do you know, uh, how all this began?"

"Well," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "In 1796, my forefathers established the seat after the tenets of the old shire charter."

Frank, who stood beside Nadia, said "That's about several years before Mr T's came to LA from Ireland."

"Hmmm...your history sounds as good as mine," said Judge Valkenpawser. "Anyway, you are charged on the count of--"

Ricky, however, wasn't very smart on manners. He shouted "Listen, your honor--we don't wanna hear your life story. We need to get the hell outta here before--"

"So you like to interupt, huh?" said the judge. "I'll confine you all here 'till you take back what you said!"

Sally scoffed "Nice going, Mr Smart Guy..."

They were locked back into the basement until they were called up for dinner. And who do you think was there? Oh, yes--Nadia, Frank and their two children 17 year old Rose and her 15 year old brother Dempsey. It was a king-sized family reunion!

This was a chance for Ricky and his cousins to get to know Ricky's godfather's children. Frank said "Ricky, guys, I want you to meet my kids Rose and Dempsey."

"Hi," Sally said to Rose. "I heard that your dad's Ricky's godfather!" As Dempsey took out a water gun and squirted a few drops of water (diluted with green food coloring) at his sister, Rose said "Great to see ya, pally!"

At last, the judge came to join the others for dinner. After sitting down, he said cheerily "Welcome to supper! How 'bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?"

Neil nodded and so the judge passed down a warm jug of Hawaiian Punch. Neil said "Thanks, Judge. You know, there's nothing better at the end of a long day on the road than a nice warm glass of Hawaiian Punch."

"Does he treat all traffic violaters this graciously?" Kim whispered to Nadia.

Nadia replied "Only the ones he takes a special interest in like bankers."

"Well, uh...sure but we're not bankers, Dad." said Dempsey.

Just then, they paused to hear giant footsteps thundering the staircase. Someone else was coming to join the supper--the woman Ricky had met by the river a little while ago.

Recognizing the woman, Judge Valkenpawser said "Folks, I'd like to introduce my sister Eldona. She's single and the best Class-A mechanic at Fonzie's Garage in Milwaukee as owned by Mr Benedict."

"She's cool, Judge." said Ricky.

"She's the ideal wife too," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "Geunine wage-earner but she's also a skillful kickboxing expert and she's got a daughter you kids might wanna see."

Ricky muttered "My kinda woman..."

When he looked up at the woman, she smiled and said "Hey, Guys, Ricky." Ricky shuddered. Now he was completely disgusted!

"You know," said Troy. "I think that the two of you make a perfect couple."

"Yeah." added Tara with a giggle. Ricky frowned at them--after all, he wasn't deciding to marry yet, EVEN if his bride happens to be the bride of Frankenstein! Soon, the whole family helped themselves to a hot dog dinner. A few hours of eating and talking passed--it was now 10:00. Time for bed.

After wishing the others a good night, Judge Valkenpawser summoned Eldona. Pointing to the Tracy cousins, he asked politely "Eldona, if you would please show them to their rooms?"

"Sure, Alvin." said Eldona and then took the kids upstairs. She put Sally, Kim and Tara in one room, Neil and Troy in another but with Ricky, she happily took him to her room. It was there that she and Ricky would finally get to know each other.

"Nice place," said Ricky looking around. "My uncle Gordon said his room was like this when my dad's family lived in LA."

Eldona took out a small 45 record, blew the dust off of it and placed it on the turntable. Once the lovely, romantic strains of music began to play, Eldona sauntered over to the couch where Ricky was sitting. She sat down and scooted an inch closer to him. Ricky looked up and saw Eldona smiling bashfully and batting her eyelashes. He said "Look, Eldona...are you thinking of spying on me?"

"Not really, Ricky," said Eldona kissing his cheek. "I've heard from your dad that you don't wanna get hitched but I've got a niece two years younger than you but I guess I'll leave you alone!"

To anybody, this would be a command. Only Ricky treated it like an aphrodisiac. He gasped joyfully and ran towards her. Eldona gasped and attempted to open the door. But it was locked and so she had no choice but to give in to Ricky's amorous advances. He muttered breathlessly "Okay...you win...so, where's your bed...?" Before he could say anything, Eldona said "It's over ther, Kiddo."

At this very moment, Ricky grabbed Eldona's right arm and flung her over to one corner of her room where her canopy bed was. A fairy-tale ending gone wrong.

Chapter 6- Here Comes The Bride

Meanwhile, back at his hideout, the Hood found out that the Tracys had escaped. He yelled "They got away! Those rotten Thunderbirds escaped my dungeon!"

"It's not that bad, boss," said the blonde troop. "There's other troops outside--they'll be captured real soon."

the Hood growled "I know! Now, go search the premises for any trace of their whereabouts and if you find them, bring them back to me, dead or alive!"

"Yes, boss!" the three troops cried and they ran off.

The next night at the Valkenpawser home, it was then that the Tracy family were about to learn the untold story of how Valkenvania ended up looking like a junkyard. Alan said "It's surprising we noticed your whole place all dirty and uh...smelly. It looks like nobody has cared for it for years."

"But we decided to move on," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "And start a salvaging business."

Ricky said "You've got enough vintage steel around here to make a few thousand Toyotas. Ever think of selling the whole place to the Japanese?"

"There you go," snapped the judge. "Does the Pope wear a hat? Was Sergeant York's mother an angel? And will a banker grope for money?"

"Hold on a minute, we're not bankers, we're..." Jeff started.

"Well, all I know is in 2037 after they shipped me off to fight, some ugly financier rolled in here one day and hog-glowsered and tub-wankled my grandfather into mining out the whole town in exchange for shares in something called Tracy Industries," said the judge. "Do you know what those stock certificates are worth today? JUST ABOUT THE FINEST OUTHOUSE WALLPAPER YOU'VE EVER SEEN! We were forced to become what you drove through today; a burnt-out coal field and the biggest icebox graveyard this side of the Canadian Shield! And that's why I never let a banker go!"

They were very sympathetic for what happened to the Valkenpawser family and their town. Troy said "So...your grandpa made a lousy deal, is that our problem?"

"What a tragic story, Judge." said Tara.

"I'm afraid it is." said the judge.

"You should do a book." said Kim.

The name "Tracy Industries" sparked Ricky's sense of suspicion. He muttered "You mean my grandpa's company? I mean, my grandkids are not what you call 'bankers'. They're part of the Tracy family and Tara's part-that Hood dude but not fully 'cause Aunt Tin-Tin permitted it to be so."

"Thanks for one try at convincing me, Mr Tracy," said Judge Valkenpawser. "But I still call them 'bankers' and that's that."

Neil asked "Do you know anything about the Lost Forest?" Just then, the clock chimed 10:00pm. It was time for bed once again and Judge Valkenpawser got up to go to his bedroom. And he didn't answer the question. Like his cousin, Ricky was curious. He was very eager to know, as much as he can, the untouched secrets of the Lost Forest. But in so doing, he found himself sneaking into Judge Valkenpawser's bedroom.

It was always wrong to snoop into somebody's private things without even asking and getting the judge's permission to find out about Nevergreen was what Ricky was trying to do without success. But soon, he was put into a double whammy when, upon running out the door, he bumped into a 17 year old girl who looked like Eldona.

After seeing what has happened, Judge Valkenpawser sighed and said "Y'know, you're even worse than a bunch of wild rats. First I find you rootin' around my private things, then you flirt with my sister Eldona and now you're making advances against my little niece Isobel!"

"It's not my fault, Judge," stammered Ricky. "I-I-I just ran into her, okay?"

"Too late," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "She's got your taint on her. No choice now but house policy."

"House policy? What house policy?" asked Ricky.

"Well, whatever man she touches is the one she keeps!" said Judge Valkenpawser.

This was not a good sign for Ricky for Isobel started carrying him off happily. Judge Valkenpawser chuckled and muttered to himself "She'll know what to do with him..."

The next step was to announce the unexpected engagement. It was 11:59pm and everybody was asleep in their rooms. But by the time midnight arrived, they were startled by a rude-but-exciting wake-up call from the judge himself: "Attention, Tracys and Valkenpawsers! Sorry about joltin' you out of your beauty sleep but I have called to bring to you the important news of the day...er night. I am perfectly pleased to announce the engagement of two of the most charming people in the household--my niece, Isobel Eldona O' Hara, is engaged to marry one of the finest members of the Tracy family!"

At hearing the news, Penny squealed with joy. She knew in her heart that this was going to happen. She turned to Scott and said "Did you hear that, Dear? Our Ricky is going to get married!"

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Scott sleepily. "We'll hear the rest of it in the morning..."

Morning arrived. Somewhere beyond the road, the soldiers were marching along the path where the troops said the Tracy cousins were crossing. The Hood asked "Are you certain they went on this road?"

"Yes, Sir," said the brown haired troop. "We saw some tire tracks run all the way up to that village up ahead."

"It had better be," said the Hood. "One simple mistake and you will be destroyed!"

Later that morning at the Valkenpawser home, the whole family were having a meeting in the living room. Now that Ricky and Isobel were engaged, it was time for the Tracys, Frank, Nadia and the Valkenpawsers to get to know each other. Jeff said "So...you woke us up in the middle of the night for this?"

"Of course," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "This is a happy occasion--a happy occasion indeed. Well...now that we're all here, I think it's time you've met all of your grandson's future in-laws," When he snapped his fingers, Eldona and a man who might have been her husband entered the room. "You may already have met my sister Eldona but the man is her husband Heath O' Hara. He wouldn't go anywhere without a gun."

Dempsey shuddered as Heath loaded up his rifle and aimed it at him. He muttered nervously "Nice...to meet...you..."

Tin-Tin asked "So, when's the wedding going to take place?"

"Right here in this house at 8:00pm sharp," said the judge. "Make sure you won't be late."

"Are you sure?" said John. "Starting the wedding immediately would take us off guard so I think we'd switch the date to Saturday night...June 10."

"June 10, it is." said the judge.

"In that case," said Bonnie excitedly. "We'd better get the ball rolling! Here's my list." With that, she took out an extremely long list. "Let's see now...we need to make some arrangements for the wedding and reception including seating, music, flowers, champagne--"

"All right," said Judge Valkenpawser. "We know your ideas--just save it for the reception."

And so numerous wedding plans were underway. Day and night the whole family labored to prepare for what they thought was the biggest wedding in the history of the world. And, somewhere beyond the house, the Hood was planning what he thought was going to be the biggest battle to end all battles.

Chapter 7- Tracy Family Tree

THE TRACY FAMILY TREE

Sean Tracy, the first Irishman to set foot in Canada, was the ancestor of the Tracy family. In 1808, he and his family moved up from Dublin, Ireland into Los Angeles, California and called it home.

Now we flash-forward 200 years later. Robert Julius Tracy, the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Sean Tracy, married Jennifer Elizabella James in 2008 and became the father of three children: Jefferson Beaumont Tracy on January 2 2009, his sister Andrea Tracy on July 15, 2011 and their brother Louis Sean Martin Tracy on September 3 2014.

In case you're wondering, there may be a slight hint that Jeff and his childhood friend Ray Tracy might be related to each other. Robert had an older brother named Rufus Tracy who had a wife named Alice and two sons, Raymond and Richard. That might mean that they were cousins. Raymond married Collen Sullivan in 2042 and became the father of a daughter Tabitha Lee Tracy. His cousin Jeff married Nicola Harper in 2038 and had five sons Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan.

At the age of 29, Scott Tracy married Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward while she was 3 months pregnant with their son Ricky who was born a month early in June that same year. John married Bonnie Regan the month after Ricky was born and had twins, a daughter called Sally and son called Neil in 2069, Virgil married Dr Claire Taylor in 2069 and had a daughter called kim in 2070, Gordon married Monique Le Patte in 2071 and had a son called Troy named after Gordon's WASP buddy Troy Tempest in 2072 and Alan married Tin-Tin Kyrano in 2072 and had a daughter called Tara in 2073 all of whom are the heroes of this story.

Tabitha married Ron Cunningham in 2074. They became the parents of triplets named Morgan Ronald, Leonard 'Lennie' Raymond and Davina Collen Tabitha Cunningham.

Chapter 8- My Big Fat Tracy Wedding

The Honorable Judge Alvin Valkenpawser (and family)

requests the honor of your presence

at the marriage of his niece

Isobel Eldona O' Hara

to

Mr Eric Morgan Tracy

Saturday, the tenth of June

at eight o' clock

Valkenvania Courts and Schools (a.k.a. the Valkenpawser home)

Valkenvania

dinner and dancing to follow afterwards

This was the invitation sent to Frank, Nadia, Rick, Larry and their families as well as in the village of Valkenvania itself. All of the Tracy family's friends from the recent and distant past were expected to come to the wedding. Ricky's friends from high school were also invited to come attend. And so were Eldona's old mechanic school colleagues. Every invitation was enclosed in an envelope (with directions to the site) and cleverly placed in the announcements section in all the newspapers. To everyone who read the invitations, they heralded what they said would be a night to remember.

It was 7:45pm, nearly fifteen minutes until the ceremony. The exterior and interior of the Valkenpawser household was decorated fabulously with ribbons, banners and streamers of silver and gold. The bright pink banner with navy-blue lettering spelled out a "Welcome!" sign. The courtroom was large enough to seat 75 people so every seat was assigned to each person as he or she entered the premises. The guests names were inscribed in the guest book managed by Eldona.

"How many guests are here now?" asked Heath.

Eldona replied "About 75 in the courtroom. The wedding's due to start in fifteen minutes."

Looking on, Neil said to Sally "I hope that feeling of being at a wedding grow on ya. It's like Uncle Virgil's wedding to Aunt Claire."

"Well, what about this one?" said Sally. "Eldona had just chosen me to be Isobel's maid of honor."

"Great. And still the wedding party faux pas continues," said Kim. "Where's Ricky anyway? I hope he's getting ready too."

Ricky, on the other hand, was in the bedroom of his intended bride...in handcuffs and chains. Isobel was trying on outfits before him and he was to see which one suited her best. Eldona burst in through the door and having noticed it, she said sweetly "Izzy honey, you know he's not supposed to see you on this special day."

"Sorry, Mom, Ricky." said Isobel as she hung her head innocently to which Ricky quipped "Special day? What is it--Halloween?"

Heath, who stood beside Eldona, aimed the rifle at Ricky and growled "Come with me, Mr. Snappy Comeback. The judge wants to speak with you." He led Ricky out of Isobel's bedroom as Isobel waved "goodbye" and giggled demurely. After they had left, Penny and Scott came in with a large bag. Penny said, "Sorry, Isobel. It took me five hours to make this for you but this is all worth it." Isobel reached inside the bag and took out a magnificent wedding dress with feathered tiara and veil--tailored to fit her size! Isobel gasped in delight and hugged her future parents-in-law.

It was the first time Judge Valkenpawser allowed Ricky to come into his room again but only for a short talk on his future prospects in marriage. Having been caught up in a whirlwind engagement and upcoming nuptials, Ricky only remembered the quest for Nevergreen. He said "What about our mission?"

"Forget it," replied Judge Valkenpawser. "I've got somethin' better for ya. First, I gotta let you know something. In many cases here, I do often choose to impose the maximum levy. Frequently undesirables are put to death."

"Come on," said Ricky. "Death for running the speed limit?"

The judge barked "And for being a banker! That's the double death." Ricky shrunk back in response. He was afraid that the judge would be cruel to him for the rest of his life. Instead, he presented him a seemingly kind offer: "However, I'll be willing to cast aside all findings, be blind to your banker's blood and you'll live out your days here as husband to my niece, father to her child and heir to my seat."

Ricky was skeptical of Judge Valkenpawser's offer of sparing his life for a very special reason. He muttered "What are you saying? Death or Isobel?"

"Oh, come on, lad," coaxed the judge. "Take her hand, warm my tired old heart. I know women--she loves ya and ever since she saw you, she's been floatin' around like milkweed in a spring breeze."

"But we already met." said Ricky.

Judge Valkenpawser continued "That's beginner's luck, boy! The real luck is in the marriage itself and you can only get it if you make Isobel your wife. Make her happy, take care of her needs and you'll inherit a fortune Ali Baba would crave. Think of it--someday when I'm dead and gone, all this will be yours--the whole place!"

Ricky said nervously "Well...I spent some time with her alone...she's uh, spectacular, quiet but kinda shy but, Judge, as far as her needs are concerned, I could never presume to be able to fulfill them."

"That's okay. It'll grow on ya. Now, let's go, boy--let me get you out of these cuffs, chains and everything," said the judge. "I'll get you all married up and we'll welcome you to this family with an all-night reel."

"No cuffs?" asked Ricky.

"No cuffs." said the judge.

Ricky wasn't sure if he was going to marry Isobel. They had only known each other for at least four days straight and even though everybody saw it as a match made in heaven, he knew it was all wrong. Isobel Valkenpawser--too short for him, skinny, unattractive...

Wait, he thought. Is the judge really pairing me up with this babe? Sure, she looks kinda short but there's something I see in her that others don't. I see...

"Can she cook?" he asked.

The judge replied happily "Are you kidding? She's a brilliant cook, got it from her mother's side of the family. Tell her anything you like to eat and she'll get it done for you."

"Even pizza?" asked Ricky.

"Yeah...that too." said the judge.

"So she can cook," said Ricky. "She sure did make some really good hot dogs. Dutch country...my favorite. Now, what else? Has she got a job?"

"Didn't I tell you already that she's a mechanic?" asked the judge.

"Mechanic? My card." said Ricky as he took a card out of his vest pocket (with his teeth). It was a license, viewing his basic personal information.

After examining it, Judge Valkenpawser said "You're part of the Tracy family?"

"Duh, I know." said Ricky.

"Say again?" asked the judge.

"Eric Morgan Tracy," said Ricky. "First grandson of Jeff Tracy and son of Scott Tracy. Don't forget that when you add me to your family tree."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." said the judge.

"Anyway, my folks are also planning a party, a post-nuptial feast." said Ricky.

"How big?" asked the judge.

"Very large. My mom's inviting about 700 people." said the judge.

"Now, that's big." said Ricky.

Suddenly, Braham flew in and played the hair metal version of the "Wedding March" to tell Ricky that it's time for the ceremony. Ricky got up, shook the judge's hand and said "Well, it's been the first ten minutes of talking with you. It's 7:55pm on my watch right now and if you can get me out of these cuffs, I'll go downstairs to get ready."

"Certainly, I can make that happen. I'll meet you there." said the judge.

Five minutes later, Ricky was standing at the bottom of the stairs. His cousin Tara had already gone down as he saw a path of red and white rose petals strewn on every step. The whole wedding party had also gone down the stairs and were now waiting patiently in the courtroom for the couple. Judge Valkenpawser then came down the stairs and joined Ricky at his side. He said "You're ready for this, Eric?"

"My name's Ricky, no one calls me Eric," muttered Ricky in surprise. "Thank God I'm also a part of International Rescue. All this time, you've called me and my cousins--"

"I found out you weren't bankers after all. I've always taken a liking to International Rescue--heck, if it weren't for them, Eldona would've died in 2066, you know."

"Really?" asked Ricky.

"You bet your life they did," said the judge. "Don't worry--you just call on Isobel and she'll be right with you on the double. Fixing the car means saving your career. That's the most important advantage of being married to a skilled mechanic."

Ricky now seemed to approve of his marriage to Isobel. He knew that if he married her, he'd never have to worry about problems on the road. He said "Yeah, I'd do that, sure. I comply with your house policy, your honor and I promise you I'll love her 'till the day I die."

"Then," said the judge. "That settles it. I've been looking forward to a good great-grandson-in-law who would uphold the legacy of the village of Valkenvania, protect his own people and mine and father many sons who would carry on our family heritage."

"Those are the words I'd like to hear from you, Judge." said Ricky.

When it was time for the ceremony to start, Judge Valkenpawser signaled for the music to start. Ricky's favorite band, the Skumbucket Punks, started to play a rocking rendition of the Bridal March. Ricky looked up and saw, at the top of the stairs, a sight that any angel in heaven would've glorified...Isobel in her beautiful wedding dress. Carrying a bunch of flowers, she started to walk down the stairs step by step.

Looking on, Ricky said "In her own way, she's kinda special..."

Judge Valkenpawser replied proudly "You'll never have car trouble."

Isobel stopped at the foot of the stairs and gazed lovingly at Ricky. As the music came to an end, Judge Valkenpawser said to the guests in the courtroom "Ladies and gentlemen, stay seated--the couple will be at the altar while I get myself into position for the marryin'." He left and Isobel offered her hand to Ricky. He took it gently and led her into the courtroom.

"She's beautiful," whispered Penny. "She reminds me of myself at my wedding...except I'm not that small."

"Quiet, Mom," Ricky whispered back. "She'll hear you."

"Sorry." Penny said.

Judge Valkenpawser reappeared in the podium, ready to start the wedding. He began "Okay...the district and commonwealth, hereby dully recognizing the will and wish of a man and a woman to enter a holy and life-binding state of matrimony, herewith confirm that you, Isobel Eldona Valkenpawser, do take to husband one Eric Morgan Tracy?"

"I do." said Isobel as she looked at Ricky, smiled demurely, and hugged him close to show that she accepts him. The judge continued turning to Ricky "And you, Eric Morgan Tracy, confirm that you do take to wife one Isobel Eldona Valkenpawser?"

Ricky looked back at his relatives and friends who only nodded at him. He then faced the judge, took a deep breath and muttered audibly, "I...do. I do." Isobel sighed happily at his answer.

"And now for the exchange of rings," said Judge Valkenpawser. "Anybody got any rings here?"

"Uh, no rings, your honor," said Troy. "Couldn't find any."

"We might as well just make this quick..." He cleared his throat and continued solemnly "This office solely recognizes the union to be complete and certifies this couple to be now officially wedded husband and wife." He pounded his gavel and at that moment everybody applauded. "You may kiss the bride."

Now, Ricky was really taken aback. He had never kissed Isobel in the past four days since they met. The judge said "Well, what are you waitin' for? Kiss her!"

"Yeah but uh, about that..." stauttered Ricky.

"Kiss her!" said the judge.

"Oh, not in front of all these people, your honor..." groaned Ricky.

"NOW!" shouted the judge.

Isobel grabbed Ricky and gave him a great big long smooch while everyone cheered and applauded. After this, Ricky fell back on the ground dazed. A woozy feeling started to come over him as he closed his eyes...and dreamed...

Ricky imagined himself in a crystal-clear world with the sky turning all sorts of colors as if a rainbow had melted.

Oh, thinkin' about all our younger years,
There was only you and me,
We were young and wild and free
Now, nothin' can take you away from me,
We've been down that road before
But that's over now,
You keep me comin' back for more

Baby, you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms,
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart,
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven

Oh, once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around,
Bring you up when you're feelin' down,
Yeah, nothin' could change what you mean to me,
Oh, there's lots that I could say
But just hold me now
'Cause our love will light the way

He looked at the water he was sitting by and saw a reflection of himself which immediately changed to a reflection of Isobel--a beautiful, delicate version of her.

Baby, you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms,
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart,
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven

I've been waitin' for so long
For somethin' to arrive,
For love to come along,
Now, our dreams are comin' true
Through the good times and the bad
Yeah, I'll be standin' there by you

Baby, you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms,
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart,
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven

Suddenly, the reflection seemed to pop out of the water and gaze seductively at him. It was actually the fantasy Isobel talking face-to-face with him!

She spoke to him in a voice so clear and sweet, you'd think she had kissed the Blarney stone! She said "Hi, Ricky."

"Isobel?" muttered Ricky. "Is that really you?"

"No. It's the real me--a beauty inside a beast." said Isobel.

"You weren't real." said Ricky.

"Well, a husband can dream though." said Isobel.

"I wanna ask you something--do you know anything about Nevergreen? I mean the Lost Forest?" asked the fantasy Isobel.

The expression on the fantasy Isobel's face changed. She was now crying tears of fright. She moaned "Get out, Ricky...get out...get out! Before it's too late!"

"But I don't want to get out! Let me stay here with you!" said Ricky.

"Ricky, wake up! Wake up..." said the fantasy Isobel.

Her voice slowly evolved into the voice Ricky recognized. It was his father Scott arousing him from his dreamy stupor. He shouted "Come on, Ricky! You're missing out on the reception!"

The reception, held outside, was a grand affair. People ate, drank, talked and danced while the same rock music Ricky loved played in the background. Ricky and Isobel cut the wedding cake, shared their first dance and opened several gifts. Even one of Ricky's friends proposed a toast to the couple.

The reception soon ended and everybody went home. Ricky and Isobel went up to his room and started to share some quiet moments together. Even though they got a strange head start, they had really started to bond with each other. But outside, they didn't know that trouble was going to overcome them...

Chapter 9- The Big Battle

Ricky woke up the next morning and looked at the side of his bed. Isobel was not there but a note was. A message was scrawled on the note and it said:

Good morning, Ricky. If you want to see your wife again, come up to my castle and fight me...if you dare!

The Hood and his goons had kidnapped Isobel. Ricky knew it was going to happen. So, he rallied his family and with them made a plan to invade the Hood's lair and rescue her.

They finally arrived at the castle, pushing and fighting past the guards to get to their target enemy. They later found Isobel trapped in the dungeon. Bernard was dead set on freeing her but he was about to be in for a surprise when he heard someone say "Doing something, Ricky?"

It was the Hood again! Ricky shouted "You bald S.O.B! You kidnapped my wife! Why would you do that?"

"That," said the Hood. "Was in retaliation for your recent escape. And now that I've found you again, you're just in time to be part of my latest victory--the enslavement of the two of you."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" asked Ricky.

"My plan is simple. I will order my soldiers to execute your family one by one," said the Hood. "And seeing now that you and that girl are married, I might wanna make some arrangements. You are my tools for expanding my empire--do you ever hear the age-old expression 'Be fruitful and multiply'? Well, when it says you multiply, you have got to multiply now! So, as long as the two of you are under my control, you are going to have children, children who will one day be pledged as leaders of my empire. Soon, your descendants will overrun the globe and terrorize all who live upon it. Does this sound like a dream to you?"

"Could be," replied Ricky angrily. "But populate the entire earth with evil wannabes? NEVER! Of course, we'd have kids some other time but we wanna raise them for the power of good, not the power of greed and ruthless destruction!"

The Hood scowled for a few moments until he finally replied "You have beaten me by a choice of words, Ricky. I may not be able to make you and your cousins my slaves but I will put down one big bet...I will capture and kill the first thing that comes into your lives within a year!"

Taking out Belvedere, Ricky muttered "You won't..."

"If it is a fight you want, a fight you will get," said the Hood. "And when I finally kill you, I will grind your bones to make my bread."

"Well, you're no giant either!" said Ricky.

Ricky and the Hood then began to fight while his family battled the soldiers. The fight went on and on and on...until something rumbled under the ground. It was an upcoming coal fire but fortunately it wasn't not the Valkenpawser home that was going to be destroyed.

"A coal fire," shouted Judge Valkenpawser. "That's what he deserves for what he did to our village 84 years ago!"

"Not so fast," said the Hood grabbing Ricky by the collar of his vest and suspending him over a pool of lava. "One more step and this little rascal will be wiped out of history!"

Isobel gasped in horror. But then, she frowned angrily. She had been entangled in a series of perils before but only one thing stands in her way: nobody, not even the greatest (and most evil) of all the Tracys enemies, dared to hurt her husband! With that, she roared and slipped through the prison bars. Then, she marched toward the Hood and growled. He said smugly, "Well, looks like Isobel is stomping mad for her servitude, if you do not mind the pun. Stay still, young lady, while I implant my new-and-improved psychochip into your..."

Before he can say anything, Isobel reached into her pocket and took out what looked like another psychochip. But where did it come from? "A psychochip? But...where did you get it?"

A familiar nerdy voice shouted out boldly "It was m-me, Sir!"

They turned around and saw the Hood standing beside the troops. Ricky, Sally, Neil, Kim, Troy and Tara shouted happily "Brains!"

Jeff said "Brains! You're back!"

"I've had enough of b-being under your control," said Brains. "First, you, uh, implant that psychochip in my brain to make me your slave and now you're trying to k-kill my former boss's grandson?"

The Hood barked "Go back to work, Brains!"

Now that the psychochip had been pulled off, Brains felt no desire to follow the Hood's orders. He replied "No, Hood. There's n-nothing I, uh, can do to help you r-rule the world and in so d-doing, I quit!"

The troops threw their caps onto the ground and cried in unison "We quit too!"

Watching Brains and the troops walking away with Ricky and his family, the Hood shouted pleadingly "But...what about me? What about my growing business?"

"Since you're a wicked wizard yourself," quipped Sally. "Why not save your own life?" With that, they left him alone in the crumbling building.

The family escaped the castle before watching it explode in a volcano-like fashion. On the way home, Isobel said "Ricky, you saved my ass and your families asses too! The Hood's gone and Evergreen City and the rest of the world's free once again!"

Scott shouted happily "Three cheers for Ricky! Hip, hip--"

"Hooray!"

"Hip, hip--"

"Hooray!"

"Hip, hip"

"HOORAY!"

And they all went home to celebrate the victory.

Chapter 10- Nevergreen

Four months later, a crisp and cool morning in early October was dawning upon the new (and free) Tracy Island. Capital City was also set free and the citzens of both towns and the rest of the world were no longer slaves of the Hood.

In Valkenvania, Ricky and Isobel were preparing to go on their belated honeymoon. Ricky and his cousins still hadn't found Nevergreen yet, so they felt that they would never see it at all. Watching his son packing some clothes in his suitcase, Scott asked "Where are you and Isobel staying at for the honeymoon?"

"Niagara Falls," replied Ricky folding his Skumbucket Punks T-shirt. "It's the most popular place for a honeymoon because of its romantic significance. It has been a hot spot for newlywed lovebirds for years."

"Me and your mom honeymooned at Niagara Falls once." said Scott.

"Really?" asked Ricky.

"Yeah," replied Scott. "I remember waking up to see the sun cast it's glow on her angelic face in the bed at the hotel. And, I also remember walking with her through the park and watching the water rush down below. It was a honeymoon we wouldn't forget."

Ricky nodded as if he understood. Penny rushed into the room and gave him a kiss and a hug. She said tearfully "Oh, Ricky, I'm going to miss you! I can't believe you have grown up so fast..."

"I have, Mom," said Ricky smiling. "I really have."

Sally peered in and said "Come on down--the jet's ready."

Scott wasn't going to let his son go off without a special wedding gift. Handing a purple velvet box to Ricky, he said "Here--take these."

"What's in 'em?" asked Ricky.

"Those were our wedding rings--the ones we exchanged at our wedding years ago," said Scott. "I was figuring you and your wife would wear them."

"Weren't those your wedding rings?" asked Ricky.

"Not any more...they're a heirloom gift now," said Scott. "They are rings that are to be passed down from one generation to the next."

"So, me and Izzy are gonna wear 'em?" asked Ricky. "I mean, we married without rings, remember?"

"It's okay," said Scott. "The reeve already recorded it in the marriage certificate. He even added you to the Valkenpawser family tree as his niece's husband. They had really taken an instant liking to you, kiddo."

"Well, they do, duh." said Ricky.

"Good luck on your honeymoon, Ricky," said Scott. "I hope it turns out the way ours did."

Ricky nodded and went on his way. As he and Isobel ran down the stairs and out the front door, everybody showered them with colored rice (it was Eldona's idea to put food coloring in the rice to make fertility "fun"). The couple piled into JT2 and jetted off as the whole family waved "goodbye". Brains and the troops, who joined the family, wished them farewell too. Without stammering, Brains wept "Oh, how I just love happy endings..."

Neil said "I guess we can't find Nevergreen after all."

"Don't give up, Neil," answered Jeff. "Besides, I have a little surprise for you."

"Really? What is it, Father?" asked John.

"The place you're standing in right now is situated in the area your children, nieces and nephews were searching for." said Jeff.

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise as she said "You mean...?"

"Yes, there's no denying that you're in Nevergreen--Valkenvania is a town in the Lost Forest--no wonder the pioneers never approached it!" said Jeff.

"But what about the woolly mammoths and the sabertooths Claire said..." Virgil began.

"Just a little exaggeration to stir your curiosity." replied Claire.

Kim chimed in "So, Nevergreen was right here all along?"

"Of course," replied Jeff. "And hey--don't forget to tell your cousin about that when he returns from his trip."

And so ended the daring quest of six young International Rescue agents trying to find a world that was heard but not seen--Nevergreen, the Lost Forest!

THE END