Fonziebirds Are Go (A HD/ Thunderbirds crossover)

[Bea]

Chapter Sixteen

Chachi, Joanie and Gina flew down the blast ducts the massive fireball triggered by the activation of Fonziebird One’s engines charging down the shaft after them. They could all feel the heat and hear the roar of the shockwave of superheated proceeding the blazing engine exhaust gases getting closer and closer. It would be on them in seconds and the fireball half a second later when it hit they would be instantly vaporised.

Then they were out of the blast duct dropping into the calm, shallow, warm waters of the lagoon surrounding the island. The raging fireball burst out of the four blast ducts after them with a roar like an angry deity and shot skywards.

As soon as she hit the water, Gina began floundering as she had never learned to swim unlike Chachi, who like all his brothers and Joanie, was an expert swimmer. He had been meaning to ask Richie, who was unquestionably the best swimmer on the whole island, to teach him how to swim but he had never gotten around to it. He’d also been a little weary of asking Richie for assistance in learning how to swim considering his well-known penchant for jokes. Now he wished he had asked or even asked Richie even as he coughed on water and desperately tried to keep his head above the surface.

Abruptly, hands grabbed her desperately thrashing arms and held her steady in the water and her head above the surface. Having seen Gina floundering and realising that she couldn’t swim, Chachi and Joanie had intervened and grabbed her from each side.

"Easy, Gina," Chachi said softly as the roar of the discharging engine exhausted faded away leaving four smoking cave mouths in its wake. "We’ll hold your head above water just kick your legs when we start moving for the shore. Can you do that?"

"Yeah!" Gina replied.

"Good we’ll go on three. One…two…three."

After Chachi said three, both he and Joanie stopped treading water and began swimming for shore holding Gina between them. As she’d been instructed, Gina began kicking her legs and soon got the idea of what she was supposed to do. Maybe learning to swim would not be that difficult.

In only a short time, they reached the surf at the edge of the beach and unable to swim any further they stood up and struggled through the surf to the beach.

"Can you warn me next time you pull a stunt like that," Gina asked Chachi. "I could've drowned."

"I’m sorry, Gina," Chachi replied. "I didn’t realise that you can’t swim. Why did you never say anything?"

"I was embarrassed," Gina answered stammering heavily as they moved up the beach away from the breaking waves. "Girls my age can usually swim."

"Not being able to swim is nothing to be ashamed of, Gina," Joanie said speaking for the first time. "If you want to learn how to then when this is over we’ll help you. Won’t we, Chach?"

"Yeah," Chachi replied. "I can always get Rich to help as well since he’s a better swimmer than anyone else on the island. Sometimes, I think he must be part fish."

Joanie and Gina both laughed at that. Richie loved the water just as much if not more so than he liked playing practical jokes. Though qualified in the operation of all the Fonziebirds like all the Tracy brothers – save Chachi since he wasn’t part of International Rescue yet – Richie was always happiest at the controls of the small but very advanced and powerful minisub Fonziebird Four. Just like he frequently went diving on the reef that surrounded the island save for a single gap creating the lagoon in his spare time.

"Thanks." Gina replied once she had stopped laughing.

"What are friends for," Chachi responded grinning. "Now we need to dry off and figure out how were going to stop the Candy Man before he leaves the island."

"He's not going anywhere for awhile." Gina answered and withdrew a transparent card like object engraved with a delicate pattern of electronic circuitry from her pocket. Chachi’s eyes widened in recognition even as he gently took the component from Gina and examined it.

"That’s the guidance processor from the main navigational computer of Fonziebird Two. It can’t take off without it." Chachi exclaimed.

"Exactly." Gina replied smiling proud of herself.

Chachi and Joanie smiled back knowing that for now the Candy Man was trapped on Tracy Island. After all, he couldn’t use any of International Rescue’s equipment to rob the banks if Fonziebird Two could not take off. The Candy Man would hit the roof when he found out he couldn’t leave though it wouldn’t take him long to figure out that they had the guidance processor. He would have to recover the component to start the launch sequence. And although it had been in water the processor wouldn’t have been damaged.

"Now we need to dry off and figure out our next move." Joanie said.

Chachi nodded in agreement as he put the guidance processor in one of the deep pockets of his jeans they had just escaped the Candy Man now they had to really think about what to do next. And they really had to dry off. It’s a pity the wind can’t just dry us off, Chachi thought then inwardly smiled to himself as he realised what he was thinking.

"What are you smiling at?" Joanie asked.

"Nothing important!" Chachi answered absently as he was suddenly remembering what Nicola had told him last night. Was it only last night? It felt a bit longer than that though it wasn’t. He was remembering what Nicola had said about manipulating water and ice as well as generating it. If he could manipulate water, then could he like make the seawater that had soaked them leave there bodies and clothes leaving them dry. Might as well have a go with Potsie's hairdryer, he thought.

Gina and Joanie were both surprised when Chachi’s pulled Potsie's hairdyer from his left pocket. He pointed it at himself and he was qucikly dry and the same thing happened to Joanie next and Gina last of all.

"Well what do you know, it worked," he commented looking back up. At the shocked looks that Gina and Joanie gave him he explained. "I remembered what my aunt Nicola said last night about me being able to manipulate water as well as generate it. I decided to have a go at doing that to dry myself and it worked."

"Cool." Gina said.

"Indeed," Joanie agreed surprised yet again by the level of Chachi’s use of technology. She got the distinct impression that even he was something of a wiz kid. "Thanks for dyrig us, Chach." she said.

"Pleasure," Chachi said thoughtfully. "There's certainly nothing to loose you can't get wetter than you already were."

"True," Gina answered. "That was crazy and I loved it."

"You’ve been a bit smarter than you were in the last half hour. I mean you told me to bit Eugene's hand when he grabbed you, you froze Eugene and two of his men in ice, kicked the Candy Man betwen the legs and now this. You’re bound to feel a bit weaker after all that." Joanie reasoned.

"You’re right," Chachi agreed. "Okay, no more bad ideas for a little while." Joanie laughed understanding what he meant perfectly.

"I’ve had an idea," Gina said. "Data to Fonziebird Five from Tracy Island is sent via satellite, is that so?"

"Yeah!" Chachi said cautiously as both he and Joanie looked at Gina waiting for her to continue.

"If we can reach the communications array, we can hack into the main computer and restore power and control to Fonziebird Five."

"Great plan, Gina but the communications mast is on the top of the islands central peak," Chachi answered. "How do we get there?"

"We’ll have to go through the forest!" Joanie said.

"But that's always been off limits." Gina objected. The jungles that dominated most of Tracy Island could be quiet a dangerous place. Filled with venomous snakes, poisonous fruit, spiders, scorpions and other various nasty insects. There weren’t any large animals aside from land crabs and oceanic birds that nested in some of the higher trees but the jungle was still dangerous.

"It’s going to be dangerous," Joanie replied. "But we don’t have much choice."

"I’m in," Chachi said holding a hand out. Joanie smiled and put one of her hands on his. After a moments hesitation, Gina did the same. "Now lets go."

Turning, they hurried into the jungle with Joanie taking the lead since she knew the jungles of Tracy Island better than anyone.

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Lori Beth’s Mansion

Milwaukee, That Same Time

Lori Beth returned home from attending one of the mayor of Milwaukee’s regular summer garden parties and immediately headed for her private study in the huge stately home that had been the home of her family for centuries. As such it was crammed with priceless treasures and some of its décor harked back to bygone ages. The great house was the only place where she hadn’t made any real changes in the décor to favour pink. Pink did appear in her private chambers mostly in bed sheets and curtains but that was all.

Upon entering her private study, she settled down at the computer sitting quietly on the desk and looking out of place on a desk that had been made almost two hundred years before in the early days of Mayor Stevenson’s reign. Turning on the computer, she waited patiently for it to boot up before going through the menu’s into a secret section of the database. She tapped in a password and submitted a thumb scan into a scanner on the desk and waited.

In seconds, the normal windows screen vanished to replaced first by the insignia of International Rescue then a communications screen set up in the same style as on the Fonziebirds. Typing quickly, she put in a command to contact Tracy Island as she was worried about Chachi and wanted to see how he was doing, how he was coping with the Candy Man. And she wanted to check everything was okay with Howard as she had had the strangest uneasy feeling all day. A feeling that something was wrong somehow.

"Lori Beth to Tracy Island, respond please." she said into the microphone. There was no answer. Frowning, Lori Beth keyed in a query to be told that incoming signals could not reach Tracy Island. Mental alarm bells starting to ring in her head she selected a new destination.

"Lori Beth to Fonziebird Five, respond please," Again, there was no reply but silence. "Lori Beth to Fonziebird Five. Fonz, if you can hear me, please respond." Again silence. Mental alarm bells now ringing at full volume, Lori Beth keyed the internal intercom.

"Yeah, Lori." Tom responded immediately.

"Tom, prepare FONZ1. We're going to Tracy Island." Though her voice was its normal cool calm self, Tom clearly heard a note of real concern in it and knew that something was up.

"Okay, Lori." Lori Beth signed off with Tom and shut down her computer before heading for her bedroom. She needed to get into something much more appropriate for Tracy Island than her current outfit. Something she could easily move in if it turned out that there was a real problem on Tracy Island yet something that wouldn’t look wrong if there wasn’t and the Fonziebirds were merely having a problem with their communications systems.

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Control Room

Tracy Island

"Sir." Sticky reported to the Candy Man as he and Eugene came back into the control room from the underground complex.

"What is it, Sticky?" the Candy Man asked.

"Someone just tried to contact both the island and Fonziebird Five. They didn’t penetrate the communications blackout still…."

"Still, it means that someone connected to International Rescue out there now knows that something is wrong," the Candy Man finished. "We're getting behind schedule we had been here too long. Eugene, get back down to the complex and select the equipment we need to get into those banks and load it into Fonziebird Two. And, Eugene, no more delays."

"Yes, sir."

As Eugene left, the Candy Man sighed to himself. He hadn’t anticipated it taking this long to get a hold of the Fonziebirds. Chachi and his two friends had managed to delay his plans considerably. The Candy Man couldn’t help but feel a twinge of respect for the young man for doing that. And somehow he knew that despite what Eugene had done with Fonziebird One, Chachi was still alive somewhere. But at least he was out of the way for now at least. The Candy Man’s plans could continue without any further delays.

[Bea]

Chapter Seventeen

The trek through the jungles of Tracy Island was long, hot and arduous. Chachi, Joanie and Gina were all covered in sweat and bits of dirt from where they’d all stumbled and fallen a few times. Beneath the canopy formed by the leaves of the trees the jungle was steamy and ferociously hot.

Sweating streams, Chachi looked at his watch and estimated that they had been moving through the forest steadily moving upwards through the densely forested valleys that led up the side of the islands central peak, the peak that in aeons past had been the main cone of the volcano that had built Tracy Island for about an hour. Though he was in excellent physical shape thanks to all the athletics he did the climb through the crippling heat and humidity was very taxing even for him. It was the fact that it was constant and unrelenting that did it. It was like trying to hike through a sauna. A sauna filled with biting insects especially the red backed mosquito that was native to Tracy Island it was found nowhere else on the planet and unusually for mosquitoes it didn’t carry any harmful diseases though modern vaccines for things like malaria meant the mosquitoes weren’t a threat to their health just an annoying nuisance. Though Chachi had noticed that the mosquitoes seemed to leave him alone now something about him seemed unpalatable to them now.

Chachi looked over at Gina to see how she was doing. Gina was after all not the best in the physical fitness department small even for her age and preferred algebra to athletics. Though if they stayed in the same school, Chachi would do what he could to change that. He could see this trek was really taking its toll on Gina, the young genius looked like she was going to keel over from exhaustion any minute. We need to stop before Gina keels over, he thought.

He was about to shout to Joanie who was just ahead that they were going to need to stop for a little while to allow Gina and themselves to recover a little bit of strength before continuing the climb up to the islands communications array. They were getting closer to their destination the forest was steadily thinning out soon it would give way to bushes and then the rocky peak on which the communications mast stood. But they still had away to go before they reached their destination. Chachi didn’t have to call out to Joanie for at that moment she looked back and noticed the state Gina was getting in. She read the look on Chachi’s face the look that said ‘we need to stop for Gina’s sake at least’ and nodded her agreement.

Then she looked forward again and resumed the trek. They were almost to the top of this particular ridge at the top was an area of flat land before a forested embankment that led up to the rarely used road up the side of the mountain to the communications array. And the road wasn’t covered by the security net this far up just like the underground service tunnels, as it was nothing but a service road. Usually travelled up and down about once every month or so when Al would come up here to check on the communications array and do any necessary repairs. And repairs were quiet commonly needed since salty air and the delicate internal circuits and cables of the communications mast did not get on very well.

After a few more minutes of climbing, she reached the ridge.

"Okay, guys, take five." she said moving onto the flat area at the top.

"Five isn’t going to do it." Gina’s voice moaned even as Chachi climbed up onto the open area, his left arm brushing a bush as he did so and unknowingly allowing a small but deadly black scorpion to get onto the back of his jacket arm and unnoticed slowly begin climbing up the fabric.

Fortunately for Chachi, Joanie saw the movement and caught a hint of a small black pincer waving from behind his arm.

"Don’t move." she said to Chachi in a grave tone of voice. A tone that indicated the grave danger Chachi was suddenly in.

"What is it?" Chachi asked just as Gina climbed up onto the flat area at the top of the ridge huffing and puffing as he did so. Like Joanie, she also saw the scorpion and recoiled reflexively.

"Androctonus scorpion." Joanie replied as Chachi felt movement and looked at his left shoulder just as the scorpion climbed up onto it.

"Is it dangerous?" Chachi asked looking in disgust at the horrid black creepy crawly on his shoulder and the wicked looking stinger on the end of its upraised tail.

"Point zero two five milligrams of its venom is fatal!" Gina replied.

"I think dangerous is in fact an understatement." Chachi replied looking fearfully at the scorpion as it showed ever sign that it was going to sting him. Its venom had to be really potent for such a tiny dose to be fatal and was probably a neurotoxin like some snake venom was. With the scorpion on his shoulder he didn’t dare to anything to get rid of it or employ any of his powers.

Joanie knowing the scorpion was about to strike and that Chachi would die with in a few moments of being stung or at least become very ill depending on what effect the scorpion’s venom had on his body chemistry decided to take action. There was only one thing she could do and while it went against her mother’s wishes she had no choice, not if she was to have any chance of saving Chachi’s life.

Gripping the crystal pendant around her neck, she concentrated on the scorpion and getting it away from Chachi. A gold glow came into her eyes just like the gold glow that came into her mother's and the red that came into her uncle's when they used their own abilities.

The scorpion suddenly lifted into the air and moved a foot or two away from Chachi before dropping to the ground and immediately running away. Chachi and Gina stared at Joanie in shock and surprise as the gold glow disappeared from her eyes. She’s got powers too, Chachi realised in shock, just like her uncle.

"Joanie, what was that?" Chachi asked softly he could see that Joanie was nervous now that she had revealed that her uncle wasn’t the only one who had powers. It was understandable that she would be reluctant and nervous about speaking about it. He knew he would be nervous about talking about being a metahuman to someone who hadn’t already known.

"Telekinesis!" Joanie answered after a few moments of silence. She knew that she needed to give Chachi and Gina something of an explanation. Hopefully they would be satisfied with a brief expedition as she didn’t really want to give them two many details of a secret that had been in the Belagant family for centuries.

She knew that if they got out of this and drove her evil uncle off it wouldn’t stay secret for much longer. Though if any family outside the Belagant’s were to know of the psychic secrets then she would much prefer it to be the Tracy’s. As they were one family who knew how to really keep something secret.

"Telekinesis," Chachi repeated. "Please don’t get mad but are you a metahuman, Joanie?"

"I’m not mad," Joanie replied. For a second she contemplated saying that she was a metahuman to protect the secrets of her family but decided against it. Chachi and Gina were her friends she’d grown up with them especially with Chachi since he was the same age as her. She couldn’t lie to them like that and even if she did it was very likely that they would see through it since they knew her so well. "I’m not a metahuman." she continued.

"If you're not a metahuman, how can you do that?" Gina asked.

"It’s a long story and here is not the place to tell it," Joanie replied silently praying to whoever was listening that her friends would drop the subject at least for now. "We've rested enough we need to get going again." she added to distract them. Then she started up the steep embankment towards the level of the winding maintenance road that threaded its way through the forest and up the central peak.

Chachi and Gina followed along.

"Still think everything can be explained by science, Gina?" Chachi asked his friend referring to a conversation they’d had earlier when they’d started the trek through the jungle.

"Everything except you guys!" Gina answered. Chachi laughed as they started climbing up the embankment.

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Primary Pod Bay

Fonziebird Two

Eugene smiled as the last piece of equipment they would need to break into the biggest banks in the world was loaded aboard Fonziebird Two. Among them were the Thunderizer which Chachi had used so easily earlier and International Rescue’s mighty drilling machine known as the Mole. It was the last piece of equipment to be loaded aboard as it would be the first one they would be using. Getting into the Bank of Milwaukee from above would be almost impossible but getting at it from underground with the Mole would be a lot easier.

"We'll use this to get into the Bank of Milwaukee vault," he said to the Candy Man who had been watching the loading. The Candy Man smiled and shook his head.

"Subtle as usual, Eugene." the Candy Man replied. Eugene so liked to just bludgeon his way through things. Sometimes like now it would work wonders.

"We're robbing banks, aren't we," Eugene replied sarcasm in his voice. "I didn't realise we would be getting points for style." And I don’t really care about style, Eugene thought, all I want is the money.

The Candy Man sighed and shook his head again he knew what Eugene was thinking even though he hadn’t probed his mind or anything like that. Eugene was only real in this for the huge share he was going to gain from robbing the banks.

"Don’t worry, you’ll get your money." he told Eugene sending a slight telepathic probe his way that let Eugene know that he didn’t appreciate sarcastic comments. Eugene flinched as a momentary blast of pain rippled through his head. Note to self, Mullion thought, never again work for a guy whose has extremely powerful and unusual psychic abilities.

Even before he’d started working for the Candy Man, he’d heard rumours about the man’s mysterious abilities. But he’d always assumed that they were just that rumours. After all, the Candy Man was not a metahuman and as far as Eugene had known at the time, it was impossible for a normal to have such abilities. But as he knew now it hadn’t been a rumour in fact the rumours didn’t do the Candy Man's psi abilities justice.

Eugene shook himself out of his thoughts and spoke into his radio. As the Candy Man had said earlier, they had been here for too long. It was time to get moving.

"Sticky, initiate launching sequence." he said.

-----------------------------

Sitting in the central pilot’s chair in the control cabin of Fonziebird Two, Sticky smiled as he heard Eugene speak over the radio. With a quick command, he closed the pod bay doors and then keyed in the commands to start the launch sequence.

Systems began humming as Fonziebird Two began powering up for launch and the huge hydraulic arms started to lower it onto the transport sled.

Abruptly lights on the control panels flashed read and the engines shut off from preheat and Fonziebird Two was lifted back to docked position.

"Warning! Warning! Guidance processor error! Launch sequence aborted. Warning! Warning!" Fonziebird Two’s computer said.

"What’s going on?" Eugene’s voice said over the radio.

"It’s the guidance processor!" Sticky replied getting up and moving to the back of the control room. Pulling aside a translucent green panel made of some sort of plastic that covered the circuitry panels for Fonziebird Two’s computer, Sticky frowned as he saw one pop out panel wasn’t quiet in its slot. Pulling it out, his eyes widened when he saw the crystal state processor was missing from the centre of the panel. Without it, Fonziebird Two would not launch since the main drives would not be able to function without the navigational computer.

"What’s wrong with it?" Eugene asked.

"There isn’t one," Sticky replied. Clever, he thought in admiration, the kids have disabled Fonziebird Two in a way that I can't fix without that one piece of circuitry. Especially since I don’t know where the spare parts for the Thunderbirds are kept.

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"There isn’t one."

The Candy Man smiled and shook his head as Sticky's words echoed through the pod bay and Eugene cursed in rage.

"Clever boy, Charles." he said softly a hint of admiration in his voice. The young man and his friends were obviously smarter than he had previously given them credit for. They were proving themselves worthy opponents. But then he wouldn’t have expected anything less from Howard's youngest son. "It’s the children, they've got it." he added.

"No way," Eugene replied in disbelief. "They're dead. No one could have survived the blast from Fonziebird One’s engines."

"I did. Take my word for it, Eugene, they're alive and well," the Candy Man replied. "Find them, Eugene. And make sure you get the guidance processor before you loose your temper."

"Yes, sir." Eugene replied and left to do the Candy Man's bidding. He had no idea where to look when you were trying to find three kids Tracy Island was a hell of a big place to look. Still he would find them and bring back the guidance processor that they had taken.

[Bea]

Chapter Eighteen

Communications Mast

"How are you doing, Gina?" Chachi asked Gina who was working on one of the circuitry panels for the satellite communications mast which had been designed to resemble a giant steel palm tree.

They had arrived at the satellite station about ten minutes ago and ever since then Gina had been working to reconfigure the satellite stations connection to the islands main computer. Once that was done they would be able to access the communications protocols and contact Fonziebird Five and then use the uplink to transfer control of the damaged space station back from Tracy Island. They wouldn’t have long to do that once the transmission was established as the Candy Man's henchmen were bound to detect it almost immediately and try to stop them.

"Don’t rush me, Chachi, this is very delicate equipment," Gina replied not looking up. "Shouldn’t be much longer." she added.

Chachi sighed and left Gina to it. Instead, he went and sat on one of the nearby boulders with Joanie. The views out over the island were spectacular from here with the blue of the Pacific Ocean dominating the horizon beyond the beaches.

"It’s a nice view from here." he said softly.

"It sure is." Joanie replied the gentle breeze blowing over the peak making her dark hair ripple slightly along its whole length. Despite the fact that she was looking out at the island and the ocean, Chachi could tell that Joanie’s attention was really elsewhere. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was thinking about what had happened a short time ago when she’d saved him from the scorpion but in so doing revealed her powers.

"You know I didn’t thank you." he said softly so only she would hear though Gina was so buried in her work with the satellite station that she probably wouldn’t hear them anyway. Joanie turned and looked Chachi straight in the eye.

"For what?" she asked confused what was Chachi on about.

"For saving me from the scorpion. Thanks." Joanie smiled as Chachi spoke. Somehow hearing that word from Chachi made revealed her family’s secret to him and Gina worthwhile. If she were put in the same situation again, she would do exactly the same thing.

"You’re welcome." she replied still smiling. Chachi smiled back.

"Okay, we’re ready," Gina called making them both jump. Getting up, Chachi and Joanie joined Gina at the base of the communications mast. "We first need to get into contact with Fonziebird Five. We can use this." he added pulling out a modified satellite phone from the access panel in the side of the mast.

After a moments thought, she handed the satellite phone to Chachi since he would be the best one to contact Fonziebird Five. If he or Joanie did it, Chachi would pester them with questions or be looking over their shoulders all the time to see if his family were okay.

Taking the phone from Gina, Chachi turned it on and spoke into it.

"Tracy Island to Fonziebird Five, respond," he said into the device. "Tracy Island to Fonziebird Five, respond. Dad, if you can hear me, please respond." A burst of radio white noise came from the device and the small screen washed with static before Howard's face appeared. The image washing in and out as the communication was disrupted by the Candy Man's jamming field.

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Fonziebird Five

A Few Moments Earlier

Fonzie sighed as he struggled to regain control of the environmental systems and door controls. Off to one side, Richie and Ralph were buried in an access panel trying to do the same, while elsewhere in the control room, Howard and Potsie were working on trying to manually restart one of the secondary power generators to take the pressure off the solar batteries and give them some more time. Power levels from the solar batteries had dropped to sixty percent and the output dropped a little more every few minutes. Already, temperatures on board Fonziebird Five were dropping and the air was steadily getting fouler as the damaged life support systems struggled to function on minimal power.

Sudden activity from the communications system made Fonzie jump. He supposed it was the Candy Man calling to taunt them with the helplessness of their situation. Then a very familiar voice – though he hadn’t heard it for a few days – burst out the speaker and he knew it wasn’t the Candy Man calling though the signal was coming from Tracy Island.

"Tracy Island to Fonziebird Five, respond," Chachi’s voice said from the speakers. As they heard Chachi’s voice speaking, Howard, Potsie, Ralph and Richie all gathered around the only working console with Fonzie as Chachi’s voice came again. "Tracy Island to Fonziebird Five, respond. Dad, if you can hear me, please respond."

Howard reached forward over Fonzie’s shoulder and pressed the button that opened the communications channels. And Chachi’s face flashed up on the communications screen though it was only black and white and washed with the kind of static that came from a jamming field.

"Chachi, we hear you. Where are you? Are you safe?" Howard asked and a look of relief appeared on Chachi’s face as he heard his father’s voice.

"I’m at the satellite relay station with Gina and Joanie. Gina’s going to hack into the main computer and give control of Fonziebird Five back to you." As he spoke, Chachi nodded to someone that they couldn’t see. Presumably, it was a nod to tell Gina to start the hack.

"Okay, we're standing by." Howard replied.

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Control Room

Tracy Island

Sticky accompanied by the Candy Man returned to the control room to see if he could use the islands network of sensors and security camera’s to find Chachi and his three friends. It was unlikely that she would spot them on the security net as they were no doubt doing there best to stay off it. Still there was always the chance that they would get careless and he would see them. Then it would only be a simple matter of alerting Eugene to their coordinates and trusting the mercenary to actually catch them this time.

As he entered the control room, Eugene heard one of the consoles bleeping for attention. Moving over to the main control station and sitting down, Sticky looked at the offending console and was surprised. Someone was sending a signal to Fonziebird Five from the islands satellite station, a signal that had been somehow boosted so it had enough power to breach the jamming field being generated by the sub. That same person was also steadily breaking through the firewalls surrounding the islands main computer banks they would be through to the operating systems in minutes. Once in there they would be able to lock her out of systems and transfer control of Fonziebird Five back to the space station. And without access to the computer the plan to rob the world’s biggest banks and forever ruin the reputation of International Rescue and make themselves filthy rich in the process would be ruined.

"Sir, someone's sending a signal from the islands satellite station and also attempting to break into the main computer." he reported to the Candy Man.

"Stop them," the Candy Man ordered knowing immediately that it was the kids who were doing it and that his carefully conceived plan was suddenly on a knife edge. "While I advise Eugene of their coordinates."

"Yes, sir." Sticky replied sending a signal to the sub to increase power to the jamming field then typing furiously on the consoles to block the kids access to the main computer.

Simultaneously, the Candy Man spoke into his own small radio unit advising Eugene of the location of the children.

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Communications Mast

"They're onto us," Gina called as she suddenly found her commands into the small computer terminal in the communications mast base being actively countered by someone in the control room. The amount of power to the communications system was also reducing as power levels in the jamming field. "We’re being jammed."

"Can you finish?" Chachi asked.

"I’ll try." Gina replied working with even more urgency. She had to get this to work she had to. It might be the only chance they had to save Chachi’s father and brothers from the Candy Man.

"Chachi, what's happening?" Howard demanded from the small hand unit Chachi was holding. The image of Howard with Chachi’s brothers standing in the background was flickering and washing with static interference more and more.

"Hang in there, dad, one more minute." Chachi replied as Gina cursed and hit the side of the mast with the heel of her hand in rage.

"It’s not gonna work, Chach," Fermat said. "The signal's too weak now for data transmission." On the screen of the satellite phone, Howard’s face had almost vanished in static.

"Dad, can you hear me," Chachi said into the phone. "We’re being jammed, we're going to loose you. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything." Because we have to there is no one else left free who can, he added to himself.

"Negative, it's t…." Howard started to reply than the transmission vanished all together and the screen went blank.

"NO!" Chachi shouted in sudden anger. "Sorry," he said apologetically to Gina and Joanie realising that he had probably frightened them with that display of anger.

"Its okay, Chach," Gina answered sitting down beside her friend. "You don’t have to be Mr tough guy and Mr always in control of myself all the time, you know." Joanie sat down besides Chachi as well.

"We’re worried about our parents too, Chach," Joanie added. "Losing your temper briefly as a result is nothing to be ashamed of." Chachi smiled.

"Thanks," he said softly. Then he looked up and spoke normally. "The Candy Man knows we're alive now, we should go." As he spoke, he also stood up.

"Even worse," Gina replied as she and Joanie also stood up. "He knows exactly where we are."

As if in response to Gina’s words, they heard the roar of a powerful engine and a powerful all terrain buggy appeared from the service road.

And came straight towards them.

[Bea]

Chapter Nineteen

"Run." Chachi said as the buggy came charging towards them from the service road. Through the windshield and open sides and top of the buggy, Chachi could see three of the Candy Man’s henchmen including Eugene, all with devilish grins on their faces. Complacent, he thought, they think they’re going to catch us easy now.

In unison, Chachi, Joanie and Gina turned away from the approaching buggy and started fleeing down the other side of the array clambering awkwardly over the rocks in their desire to escape the occupants of the buggy and flee into the jungle again.

They didn’t make it. The buggy came around the rocks that surrounded the concrete block the communications mast was built on and roared to a halt directly in front of them. Eugene and both guards jumped out immediately and came straight at them. Eugene especially ran straight at Chachi knowing that he needed to take him down quickly.

Chachi seeing Eugene barrelling towards him like an enraged bull knew he wouldn’t be able to move quickly enough to avoid a collision with the older super strong man. There was only one possible way he could think of to avoid being bowled over like a Human bowling pin. Taking a deep breath and holding it, he imagined Eugene passing through him rather than crashing into him.

Chachi moved as soon as Eugene tried to grab him and as he solidified let out the breath, he had been holding before almost crumpling to his knees as a wave of exhaustion rippled through and he could feel the level of power within him drop considerably. Note to self, don’t ever try that again, he thought as he tried to rally his strength and the remaining energy within.

One of the two guards seeing Chachi decided to take advantage of him. Unhooking a stun gun from its slot on his belt, he fired on Chachi.

Chachi jerked when he felt the two small metal darts from the tazer strike him, then a short but intense charge of electricity followed. The sudden blast of energy convulsed his muscles and dropped him to the floor just like it was designed to do. But that wasn’t the end of it. The blast of electricity somehow interacted with the power inside him producing what felt almost like some kind of internal explosion and waves of pain so intense that he cried out in agony right before gratefully giving himself up to the darkness that raced up to embrace him.

"CHACHI!" Joanie yelled in fury seeing Chachi fall and hearing him cry out in what had to be tremendous agony given his high pain tolerance, mercifully the scream of pain cut off as Chachi lost consciousness. Part of her was stunned that a tazer attack something that would normally only disable for a minute or two could have such a devastating effect on Chachi but the rest of her was furious. Literally seeing red, she lashed out telekinetically at the guard who’d just attacked Chachi. The blast of telekinetic force knocked the guard flying to land stunned a few meters away.

Joanie smiled slightly even as she felt a sudden surge of shame for giving in to her anger and using her power in a manner that was all to reminiscent of some of the things her uncle could do. Abruptly, her world reeled and she felt sudden pain at the back of her skull before everything went black and she dropped unconscious. Standing over her was the remaining guard who having finished subduing Gina and wrestling the kid into restraints had noticed her distraction and clubbed her around the back of the skull with the butt of his pistol.

Getting his wits back together, Eugene picked himself up from the floor shaking his head to clear the residual disorientation while mentally swearing every word he knew. He was surprised and pleased to see Chachi and Joanie both disabled and unconscious with the third smaller kid in restraints and glaring hatefully at them.

"Bind these two as well. Then load them all on the buggy." he ordered gesturing at Joanie and Chachi just as the guard who’d been hit by Joanie’s enraged telekinetic attack picked himself up off the floor and shook his head to clear residual dizziness before moving over to help his companion.

As the two guards did what he told them to do, Eugene noticed something shinning in the sun where it had fallen out of Chachi’s pocket. Moving over, he picked it up and smiled when he saw it was a crystal state processor unit – specifically the guidance processor that was missing from Fonziebird Two.

Smiling even more broadly, he secured it in a spare pouch on his belt. The Candy Man was going to be so pleased to have the processor back. Though Sticky would want to check it to make sure it hadn’t been damaged or tampered with which was proper. Once she was satisfied that the processor was okay and had reinstalled it in Fonziebird Two’s navigational computer, they would be able to leave Tracy Island and carry out the next phase of the plan.

And Eugene was so looking forward to it and all the loot they would get.

---------------------------------

The Fridge

Ten Minutes Later

Shivering violently and aching all over, Nicola Davison struggled to remain conscious knowing that if she fell asleep that she might never wake up again. They had been in here for almost three hours and her prediction about hypothermia really starting to set in at three hours was coming true.

For the first time in awhile, Nicola thought about how her sister had died. She vividly remembered it as she had been with Howard and the boys on that day, a day that had to be one of the worst days of her life. They’d been in the lodge while Marion had gone off with a couple of other people for an early morning ski on the fresh snow that had fallen the night before. What no one had known was that a massive cleft of snow at the top of the mountain had become too heavy and collapsed just as the first skiers hit the slopes. Marion had been caught in the avalanche that resulted along with dozens of other people. She hadn’t been killed immediately instead had died about three hours after the avalanche occurred and two hours before her body was found. She’d died mostly from hypothermia as her injuries hadn’t been that severe mainly because Marion had always been something of a health nut. Is this how Marion felt as she was trapped in the avalanche and slowly freezing to death? she thought as she shivered in the frigid air of the main fridge.

"Are you alright, Nicola?" Marion asked shivering herself.

"Yes, I’m fine," Nicola replied taking a deep shaky breath feeling, her eyes stung with unshed tears. Like Howard, she rarely thought about the day Marion died as it always upset her. She could talk about Marion all day long from any other day in her life from her birth when she was two years old to the day before her death and she frequently told Chachi about her as the youngest Tracy had so few memories of his mother. But he could never speak of the day itself and Chachi had never asked about it. Normally, she avoided even thinking about it. But their current circumstances ensured that he was starting to remember it.

"Bad memories." she added though he didn’t elaborate further knowing that if she spoke about the circumstances of Marion’s death, she would start crying. Al sensing that the memories were painful ones didn’t ask anything more.

From outside, there came a distinctive clanking noise as the manual locking bolt was retracted followed by a few electronic bleeps as someone worked the electronic lock. Then, with a magnetic humming noise the door to the fridge opened and then they saw Eugene standing in the doorway. But only for a moment then, he stepped aside as one of the guards threw a bound Gina in, Gina stumbling as she was thrown in. Then, Eugene reappeared and threw in a just awoken Joanie before finally throwing the still unconscious Chachi into the fridge.

Then, Eugene closed the door again and they heard the manual and electronic locks engage again.

As their respective parents awkwardly greeted Joanie and Gina, awkwardly since everyone was bound with zip cuffs, Nicola looked over Chachi’s unconscious form with an eye that was almost as trained as a doctors. Like all International Rescue operatives, she had a full spectrum of emergency medical training which would surprise even some of the best emergency doctors. Nothing physically seemed to be wrong with Chachi that she could tell, he was just unconscious.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"He was hit by a tazer," Joanie replied from where she had just sat down with Marion. "It seemed to have a disproportionate affect on him. He collapsed, screamed in pain and then lost consciousness he’s been like this ever since." Nicola frowned. Chachi screaming in pain was almost unheard of considering his high pain threshold.

Al also listened intently true, he knew Chachi and his brothers nearly as well as anyone else did yet he knew that he shouldn’t have had such a reaction to something as mundane as being zapped with a tazer. The power level in a tazer shot just wasn’t enough. It was certainly conceivable that the electricity had interacted with them perhaps caused something like an internal short circuit.

"Its possible that the electricity from the tazer shot negatively interacted with Chachi’s mind," he said in explanation. "Seemingly ordinary things can have adverse effects on metahumans."

"Will he be alright?" Nicola asked while looking at Chachi in concern.

"I believe so. I can't be absolutely sure without recourse to sensors but once his mind have had sufficient time to recover, he should be fine."

"How long will that take?" Joanie asked before Nicola could voice the same question.

"That's a question no one ever knows the answer to," Al replied. "But since Chachi’s been having nightmares lately, the cold environment of this room might speed up his recovery."

"Perhaps but I don’t see how Charles being conscious again would help us get out of our current predicament."

"Remember, I can use my Uncle Al's phase gun," Gina stuttered. "More so I can selectively phase parts of us."

Al was surprised by his niece’s words. Phase abilities were unusual in metahumans to start with but even among those who had phase-type abilities he had never heard of selective phasing before. But then even by the standards of their kind, his phase gun was something of an oddity in that he possessed three distinct powers two elemental the third it's power to phase and that it's abilities had taken so long to show themselves.

"Selective phasing, I've never tried that before. Still, phase-type powers are very rare among metahumans," Al said then he smiled. "If Chachi recovers enough then he can use my phase gun and stop us all from freezing to death. When he wakes up, he could use the gun to free himself and then untie us…"

"And then we can figure a way out of here," Nicola finished. "I just hope Charles wakes up soon because we’re not going to survive in here much longer."

-------------------------------

Control Room

Sticky smiled as his sensor pack reported that the guidance processor was undamaged. Eugene had just handed it back to him and he was carefully checking it over. The last thing they would have wanted to do was install it in Fonziebird Two and take off for Milwaukee only to find that the processor had been damaged or sabotaged. The consequences if something really went wrong with it in mid-flight could have been very nasty.

"The guidance processor's perfectly fine." he said looking up from the scanner display.

"Excellent," the Candy Man said. "How long will it take to reinstall it on Fonziebird Two, Sticky?"

"Not long, sir," Sticky replied. "I can have Fonziebird Two ready to leave within ten minutes."

"Excellent. Proceed to reinstall the processor."

"Yes, sir." Sticky started to get up from the main console only for the scanner display to give a sudden series of bleeps as it detective an approaching aircraft.

"Now what?" the Candy Man said in exasperation. The constant delays were getting very tiresome. Soon, Fonziebird Five would run out of emergency battery power and he wanted to be out of here and in Milwaukee robbing the Bank of Milwaukee before that happened. He wanted Howard to see the start of International Rescue's downfall before he died when Fonziebird Five’s life support systems shut down.

"Perimeter sensors are reporting a aircraft approaching the island at extremely high speed," Sticky reported, his hands dancing across the control panels. "I'm picking up an International Rescue identification transponder from the approaching aircraft. It reads as FONZ1." Consternation was in Sticky's voice when he said that last part.

"ETA?" the Candy Man asked.

"Three minutes."

"Then we must prepare a suitable reception for whoever the agent if that vehicle is. Eugene, get two guards and come with me. Sticky, get down to Fonziebird Two and reinstall that guidance processor."

"Yes, sir." Eugene and Sticky replied in unison.

[Bea]

Chapter Twenty

FONZ1

Approaching Tracy Island

Lori Beth grew increasingly concerned as FONZ1 closed on Tracy Island. During the flight from her mansion in Milwaukee, she had tried twice more to raise both Tracy Island and Fonziebird Five but had not received a response, not even an automatic acknowledgement from Fonziebird Five’s transponder.

The total silence on all communications channels was very worrying, especially as it had never happened before. True there had been problems with the communications network in the past such things were inevitable but never before had the whole system gone silent. In fact, Al and Howard had built so many safeguards and backups into International Rescue’s communications network that total failure should have been impossible even if one of the main network hubs – like Fonziebird Five – should be put out of action. Yet now it seemed that the impossible had happened.

And as she sat in the back of FONZ1, Lori Beth got a very uneasy feeling. A feeling that something was very, very wrong. Possibly something more than a massive communications breakdown.

"Approaching Tracy Island, Lori," Tom reported from the driver’s seat. "The island security systems've just scanned us."

"Any communication?" Lori Beth asked. Normally when she was approaching Tracy Island, Howard would hail FONZ1 to greet her. The only times that didn’t happen was when the Fonziebirds had been deployed on a mission. And she didn’t think that that had happened here. There was nothing on the news about the Fonziebirds going to a disaster scene as there would normally be.

In fact, the media was awash with speculation as to where the Fonziebirds were. There had been a number of accidents and disasters in the world that they would either respond to or offer to assist if needed but there hadn’t been a peep out of them. And according to the news all attempts to get in contact with International Rescue had failed, no communications were answered or even acknowledged.

"No, Lori!" Tom replied confusion and concern in his voice. Lori Beth frowned thoughtfully more convinced now than ever that something was very wrong. That something bad had happened on both Tracy Island and Fonziebird Five.

"Tom, switch to hydrofoil mode and bring us in on the beach closest to the villa complex."

"Sure thing, Lori," Tom replied then noticed something on the sensors that set mental alarm bells ringing at full volume. "Dig this, Lori, sensors're picking up a large stationary contact in the lagoon off the beach near to the villa complex."

"Identify." Lori Beth ordered, her own mental alarm bells ringing.

"It appears to be a submarine, Lori. But the configuration and construction doesn't match any known design." As Tom spoke, Lori Beth felt a chill. That sub whoever it belonged to should not be here. The fact that it was here was very alarming in its implications.

It implied that somehow someone had uncovered the connection between the Tracy’s and International Rescue. Had uncovered it and attacked them presumably to plunder the islands secrets and steal the Fonziebirds. Sold on the black market the secrets hidden on Tracy Island would be worth billions and they could cause untold suffering if they fell into the wrong hands. In the wrong hands, the incredible technological power the Tracy’s commanded could be twisted to destroy life instead of save it. If terrorists or worse an aggressive government got their hands on Fonziebird technologies, they would be almost unstoppable.

The presence of the submarine did explain a few things though. Like why there had been total silence on International Rescue communications channels. The Tracy’s hadn’t been able to respond because they’d been attacked and either captured or killed.

Compressing her lips into a thin line and a determined look appearing on her face, Lori Beth vowed that whoever was on that sub would not leave here regardless of the fate of Howard and the boys. She could not allow the secrets of International Rescue to fall into the wrong hands.

"Tom, bring our weapons systems on line," she ordered. "Then target that subs engines." She wouldn’t sink the submarine just yet but she would cripple it so whoever was onboard could not escape. Then she would go down there and find out what had happened to Howard and the boys even if she had to beat it out of whoever was onboard that sub.

"Okay, Lori," Tom replied opening a panel on the steering wheel and targeting the sub. "Ready, Lori."

"Fire!" Tom pressed a button in the panel. A panel on the underside of FONZ1 opened and a mini-torpedo dropped into the water and sped towards the sub.

A second later, an explosion erupted at the rear of the submarine and a massive spurt of water accompanied by steam shot into the air. The submarine visibly lurched in the water before its rear end disappeared beneath the surface and the bow came up slightly higher in the water exposing the tops of the forward torpedo tubes as the main engine compartment was flooded.

"Direct hit, Lori, they ain't going nowhere." Tom reported.

"Great shot, Tom. Now land us on the beach."

"No problemo, Lori."

------------------------------

Tracy Island

The Candy Man inwardly seethed as he listened to the report coming in over his comlink with the submarine. A torpedo fired from the approaching aircraft had slammed into the starboard engine fin literally blasting it apart. The main engine room had been flooded when the pacific had raced in through the resultant breach in the hull. The remaining main drive unit on the portside was therefore out as well since the flooding would have wrecked its power unit. Water tight bulkheads had sealed off the damaged area but there was collateral damage in all aft compartments from the shockwave. The main reactor was off line leaving only emergency batteries, three aft ballast tanks had ruptured. The secondary engines were still on line but were damaged and would only work at half speed.

Though furious with the damage his submarine had sustained, the Candy Man believed that they were fortunate it was only one torpedo. A second hit would have probably broken the subs back and in that instance it would have sunk in seconds. As it was the sub while badly damaged was still operational and could be repaired though it would have to limp back to the secret facility where Sticky had built it before the major repairs could be done.

And while it was infuriating, the damage to the submarine would not hinder his plans too much now that they had the guidance processor for Fonziebird Two back. He could still rob the banks before returning to his own base of operations. By the time he would need it again the sub would be repaired. Especially if Sticky had any say in the matter since the sub was his ‘baby’ and he took any problems with it or damage personally.

"Do as many repairs as you can here," the Candy Man ordered into his comlink. "Then head back to base at the best speed you can."

"Yes, sir." the senior guard he’d left in charge on the sub replied his voice backdropped by the sound of emergency klaxons.

The Candy Man signed off with the sub just as the aircraft landed and revealed itself to be flying bright pink car as it set down on the beach. What an awful colour, the Candy Man thought as the roof opened as well as side doors. Two people got out but showed no signs of having seen them yet.

"Ambush positions." the Candy Man ordered.

The Candy Man, Eugene and both guards immediately ducked behind bushes and trees where the cars occupants would not see them.

Until it was too late.

-----------------------------------

Lori Beth was increasingly nervous and on her guard as she and Tom left the beach and began walking up the path towards the two swimming pools at the front of the main house/villa complex. She could tell that something wasn’t right and she gripped the pistol she was holding tightly as she walked up the path. There had been no sign of anyone and no apparent reaction to the damage to the submarine.

Which was worrying. Either whoever the attackers were had left the island presumably on one of the Fonziebirds, they were aboard their submarine and busy with damage control or they were waiting in ambush for her.

"Be on your guard, Tom." she whispered softly.

"No problem, Lori." Tom whispered back gripping his own weapon tightly. He too was uneasy with the lack of response from whoever it was who’d attacked the island.

After a few minutes, the path led them out onto the lower sundeck besides the big main pool which in addition to being the pool that was primarily used just for swimming as opposed to games like the diving pool concealed Fonziebird One’s silo.

From behind a voice suddenly spoke.

"Well, what do we have here?" a cold voice said. Lori Beth and Tom spun around to find themselves face to face with four people.

One was an overweight mustachiosed man wearing a white suit with a black tie, another was a huge bearded man who radiated menace and strength. The other two were a pair of ordinary looking guys who like the big man radiated menace. The big guy and the other two wore black body armour of some sort.

"Laura Elizabeth Creighton-Ward," the Candy Man said recognising her from various news articles that he’d read. She was one of those goody-goody people that he so hated. "Of course. Howard Tracy has his palace so why not have a princess?"

"Flattery will get you no where, you fat jerk!" Lori Beth replied starting to bring her gun to bear on the Candy Man.

Annoyed at being called a fat jerk, the Candy Man reached out telekinetically and yanked the guns from the hands of Lori Beth and the man who assumed to be her chauffeur, before giving Lori Beth a hard telekinetic shove that sent her flying backwards into the pool.

Lori Beth hit the water with a shocked cry and coughed on water for few moments. How the heck did he do that, she thought looking at the overweight man, he's got to be a metahuman. Why do so many metahumans have to be evil?

Angered at seeing his mistress thrown into the swimming pool, Tom charged towards the Candy Man pulling a fist back ready to break his nose. The Candy Man smirked in amusement seeing Tom coming for him. As if he would let him get close enough to punch him.

"Eugene." he said.

Eugene took a few steps forward and grabbed Tom by the lapels physically lifted him up as if he weighed nothing and then throwing him at Lori Beth, who was just climbing out of the swimming pool dripping wet and more than a little mad.

Tom cannoned into Lori Beth knocking both of them into the swimming pool with a cry.

"Get them." the Candy Man said to the two guards as Lori Beth and Tom coughed and spluttered in the swimming pool. He was tired of these constant delays to his plans.

The two guards moved forward to comply just as Lori Beth and Tom started to haul themselves out of the swimming pool again. The guards grabbed them as soon as they were out the pool and wrestled them both to the ground and bound their hands behind their wrists with zip cuffs.

"Put them with the others." the Candy Man ordered to Eugene and the guards. "Then you two," he added specifically to the guards, "return to the sub with the others."

"Yes, sir." Eugene replied then together with the guards took the two struggling agents away.

The Candy Man watched them go and smiled. Sticky would be in Fonziebird Two by now reinstalling the guidance processor. In another few minutes, he would leave this island behind for a while and be on his way to Milwaukee. The final phase of his plan to ruin the reputation of International Rescue was about to start.

Smiling evilly, he headed back to the main house after Eugene and the guards. Once Lori Beth joined the others out of the way, it would be time to leave.