February 18, 2056

"Colonel Tracy, British Airlines are reporting some trouble with the engines on their biggest planes."

"How many in the sky right now?" Jeff slid the GDF hologram to the main projector on his desk.

"Just one, but two more of the same model are refusing to start."

Jeff chuckled. "I'm not a repairman, Lutienent Casey."

The woman in the projection kept her stoic face, far too used to her colleague's wit.  "They think The Hood is trying for their planes again.  You of all people should know that's what he wants, and what he can do to get it."

Jeff nodded, thinking back to when he lost the TV-21.  He turned to the device at the corner of the desk, clicking two buttons to page his oldest and middle child. "How much trouble is the airborne plane in?" he asked the Lutienent.

"They'd be in a lot less trouble if you were on your way."

Jeff stood, hearing two of his sons pounding down the stairs above.  "Well then, consider them in a lot less trouble."  He smiled at Virgil and Scott as they appeared in the half-floor above, before they all three suited up.

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"So you think The Hood's trying to make the engines look bad so British Airlines will toss them and he can steal them easier?"

"That doesn't really seem like his style though, does it?"

"Well, his current style hasn't really worked out for him before, has it?"

"It may not even be The Hood.  That's what I have the Creighton-Wards working on right now.  But, our focus is getting this plane out of the sky safely."

"You got it, Dad."

Jeff was currently riding with Scott in Thunderbird 1, while Virgil was piloting Thunderbird 2 behind them.  Getting a massive, new cargo plane to the ground safely would be easy experience for his sons to gain, so Jeff, for the time being, was only there for supervising the rescue.

It was a piece of cake.  His boys directed the plane to the nearest airport and lowered it to the ground expertly.  Knowing the pilot and crew of the plane could take it from there, Jeff sent Scott back with Virgil and took TB1 to one of British Airlines' hangers.  Lord Hugh and his daughter, Lady Penelope, just informed him that The Hood had barricaded himself in the hanger with the broken engines and an engine technician for British Airlines.

He called Lutenient Casey to let her know the information, and about four minutes later, he landed outside the hanger.  Approaching the technician's door, he overrode the electrical lock with a device on his belt, before slipping in undetected.  He could hear voices on the other side of the hanger, and, being sure to stay hidden behind the many planes, he slipped over towards them.

"This would be so much easier if you would just give me the blueprints for the engines." A cold voice, which Jeff knew belonged to The Hood, drawled through the hanger.

"I told you, I don't have access to them!  And even if I did, I wouldn't give them to you," an adult male, british voice replied.

"Come now, brother... You've already sabotaged these planes for me.  You'll already be in trouble if you're caught."

Before the Briton could reply, a feisty young female voice, also british, cried out: "We're not the ones who'll end up in jail tonight!"

"Tanusha, hold your tongue!" The man hissed with worry. 

"No, no!" Jeff could hear the grin in The Hood's voice. "You think you and your father will get out of this clean, Tanusha?  Not unless I get these engines," he threatened.

"You won't be getting anything tonight!"

"Oh, really?  And who's going to stop me?  You?" The man drawled, amused.

"Yes, me!"

"Tanusha!"

Jeff listened as a scuffle broke out.  It wasn't long before there was a grunt and a thud as a body hit the floor.

"Tanusha!" The man, whom Jeff assumed to be the girl's father, cried out in fear.  He could only assume that the girl had lost until her voice rang out, strong and determined.

"Coward!  Fight me yourself!"

Jeff risked a look behind the plane he was using to conceal himself.  A man and a teenage girl, both with dark olive skin, where standing off against The Hood, who was surrounded by his usual pose of goons, one of which was lying unmoving on the floor.

"Impressive..." The Hood said, eyeing the still man. "Brother, you didn't tell me your daughter could fight..."

"She's not fighting anymore!" The man pulled her back. "And I'm not your brother!"

"In law, you are," The Hood drawled.

The man holding the teenager back clearly had enough. "I'm turning you in!  I'm not doing your dirty work anymore!"

"Oh, turning me in?  You'll have to tell them all about how you were responsible for that dear plane having to be saved by International Rescue.  Not to mention all the other rules you've broken for me... Hoping handing me over will save your skin?  I wouldn't bet on it."

"I would." Jeff stepped out of his hiding spot.  "Your skin is worth much more than a couple of unplugged wires."

"Ah, Jeff Tracy.  Come to join our little party?"

"I wouldn't call this a party.  The GDF is on their way."

"Well then, we'll have to break up this meet and greet a little early." The Hood beckoned to his goons, which scattered, a couple advancing on the father and daughter and the others running to the main supports of the hanger.

"Tanusha!" The father grabbed the girl's wrist as she lunged forward, but she jerked it back.

"I'm not running!" She cried, before attacking the first goon in her path. 

Jeff bolted to the man and pulled him behind another plane.  There was only one reason he could think of for the goons to dash for the supports. "We need to get you and your daughter out of here.  He's going to blow up the hanger."

The man's eyes widened.  "We can't let him do that!  British Airlines would loose millions!"

"Yours and your daughter's lives are more important, Mr. -"

"Kyrano," he supplied.

"Mr. Kyrano." Jeff looked back towards the girl as she dropped another goon to the floor.  A grunt and the scuffing of shoes behind him caused him to whip back around, only to watch as Mr. Kyrano slammed a goon's head into the side of the plane.

"Okay," Jeff said, looking back out to his daughter, who was holding her own out on the floor. "We need to get out of here." He made to dash towards Tanusha, but Mr. Kyrano grabbed his wrist to hold him back.

"Mr. Tracy, I need to go on the run."

Jeff figured this much, but he didn't realize they had to discuss it right now.  "Okay, let's get your daughter."

Mr. Kyrano shook his head.  "She can't come with me."

Jeff faced the man. "What do you mean?"

"I need to go into hiding.  I've helped my brother-in-law with too many of his plans.  I don't want anything to do with him anymore.  I want to start a new life.  Away from him.

"My daughter, however... She can fight.  She's fearless and strong and smart and determined.  She's not done with him.

"She also needs a better life than what I can give her while on the run."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm leaving her.  She already knows this," he added when Jeff opened his mouth. "We've talked about it and she agrees.  She wants to keep fighting her uncle until he's behind bars.  Splitting up is the best option."

"But-" Jeff started.

"Look, even if I forced her to come with me, she'd go after him eventually.  It's just easier this way."

Jeff nodded, realizing fighting this would be a waste of time. "Okay.  Can you get out of the hanger yourself?"

"Yes.  Just make sure those bombs don't go off."

"I'll try my best."  There was a thud as another of The Hood's friends hit the ground across the hanger.

"Tanusha can help; she's rather handy with stuff like that."

Jeff nodded and Mr. Kyrano turned and began his journey to his way out, shifting quietly behind planes to the edges of the hanger.  Jeff turned and stepped out from behind the plane, before running and helping Tanusha fend off the guys.

It didn't take long for them to run out of opponents, those that weren't out cold on the floor having disappeared.

The hanger was silent except for the soft beeping of the armed weapons.

"What happened?  Where did they go?" Tanusha spun, her fists clenched in front of her, defending her center.

"They're gone," Jeff said, supporting a swelling jaw and turning his attention to the closest support beam, which was indeed supporting a blinking-red bomb.

"The Hood!  I have to go after him!  He can't get away!" The young girl began to run towards the edges of the hanger.

"No, Tanusha, wait!  I'm gonna need your help to disarm these!  Your father said you could help."

The echoing footsteps stopped.

Jeff continued. "Plus, if you didn't see him since the standoff, he's probably long gone.  You'll have other chances to get him, if the amount of times I've run into him is any evidence.  What's important now is getting these bombs neutralized." He started observing the device up close, and soon the teen joined him.  She impressively determined the kill-switch quickly and the two split off to finish disarming all the bombs.

When the hanger finally fell completely silent, Jeff met her back in the center.  "Nice job." He held out his hand for her to shake. "Jeff Tracy."

She shook his hand, smirking. "Need some ice?"

"Yeah..." he winced as he touched his swelling jaw. "Looks like you got off much better than I did.  You're a great fighter and you're not too bad with code either."

She shrugged. "I take it my dad told you about our plan?"

Jeff sighed. "He did.  He took off right before I came to join you."

"It's for the best," Tanusha said bitterly. "He's scared, going into hiding.  My uncle deserves to be behind bars, and I'm determined to get him there."

"That is what your father told me.  But the GDF should be arriving any moment.  They'll get him."

She shook her head. "Like you said, he's long gone by now.  He's slippery, but I'm learning his tactics.  I'll pin him someday."

"What's your plan now, then?"

"Follow him.  Track him down.  Trick him, then turn him in."

Jeff cocked his head. "How old are you?"

"15."

"Won't that be a little young to be out on your own?"

"You just saw, I can handle myself," Tanusha said with a cool voice.

"So you're just gonna track him until you find him?  Why not just wait for him to show up again?"

"I don't have the means for that.  Plus, he could show up anywhere."

"I have the means to watch for him and get to him when he shows up again."

"Good for you." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking away.

"If you watched with me, you could help me take him down when he does show up again.  Seems like you know a lot about him.  We could use that information."

Tanusha raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Are you offering me a job?"

Jeff shrugged. "More like... a safe place to stay while you sort your life out, in exchange for your help and information regarding taking down your uncle.  We could use your expertise at IR."

The teen put a hand on her hip. "You barely know me, yet you're willing to take me into your top secret organization?"

"I'll have the GDF run a background check of course, but seeing how you performed today, with your fighting and knowledge in diffusing a bomb, I think it'd be great to have you with us, if only to teach our other members some self-defense."

She crossed her arms. "I'll have to think about it."

The roar of jet engines rattled the walls of the hanger. "Alright.  Sounds to me like the GDF are here.  I'll go talk to them to sort some things out.  Keep thinking on my offer.  I do think it's your best option if you're after The Hood."

Jeff turned and headed to the hanger doors, well aware of the teen's gaze on his back.  He knew bringing a kid he just met home to live with his family may not be the greatest decision he's ever made, but The Hood's antics were getting old, and it did seem like this young girl had just the skill set to help them finally catch him.

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"Everyone, this is Tanusha Kyrano.  She's going to be staying with us for a bit and has a strong skill set to help us against The Hood."

Virgil shared a skeptical glance with John.  This random girl was only a teenager.  Granted, so were they, but they weren't random people their father had picked off the street.

Jeff stood in the lounge with his whole family spread out in front of him, Tanusha by his side.  Her background check had come back about as clean as he could expect for a skilled fighter and bomb-disarmer, and after about an hour of sorting things out with the GDF, she had agreed to take up his offer for a place to stay in exchange for her expertise.  Jeff figured she was a little surprised to find out International Rescue was just a single family living on an island, with one of the children being her age, but she seemed to be adjusting to that information well.  She hadn't spoken too much, and her face was rather expressionless, but Jeff couldn't blame her.  Her life had just completely changed, relatively out of the blue.

Jeff thought his sons were taking the information relatively well as well.  Scott seemed interested.  As were Virgil and John, though they seemed a bit more skeptical.  Gordon looked upset to have been called from the pool, but otherwise unphased, and Alan just looked confused, his leg bouncing as he processed all this.

"Why don't you guys introduce yourselves?" Grandma Tracy chimed in, having talked to Jeff about this about an hour ago.  Brains stood beside her, generally curious.

Scott started, and the boys went down the line introducing themselves.  Eventually, Gordon requested he return to the pool and Jeff asked if any of them would like to give her a tour of the island.  Seeing as all his boys looked uncomfortable with that prospect, especially John, he released them and decided it was best to show her around himself.  Right now, Jeff just wanted to make her feel comfortable and welcome, and forcing her to get to know his sons on top of all the new changes in her life was not the right choice.  If they were all going to work well together in the future, they needed to be comfortable around each other, but that was not the top priority right now.  That comfort with each other would come with time.