To Catch A Runaway

In the day's dark beginnings a stealthy figure emerged from the Malaysian jungle into a large, man-made clearing. On cat-soft tread it approached the perimeter gates of the equipment yard at Gray and Houseman Construction, Incorporated. A silent stalk of the area from the jungle's fringe had already been accomplished, the black-clad shadow probing for weaknesses in the security grid and trying to determine what piece of large equipment would be most useful for its plans. Now it advanced to the fence. Gloved hands attached the ends of a splicing device to the main fiber optic filament that ran through the fence, the dark eyes watching as the current flowing through the filament was diverted through the splicer, making it look like there was still an continuous line of current when, in fact, there was now a dead spot that could easily be cut through.

A pair of wire cutters were wielded, and the fence was breached. Staying close to what shadows there were in the brightly lit yard, the figure inched its way over to the Crablogger. A small laser made short work of the communications antenna. An electronic lock was easily dealt with. The pallid face with its red hair, freckles, and bushy red eyebrows took on a satisfied look as its owner climbed aboard the vehicle.

This will be the most effective of the vehicles. International Rescue has had experience with it before and will probably follow the same procedures to cut into the cabin of the craft. Whoever comes along to stop it will then be under my control.

The would-be thief lowered a heavy backpack to the floor, then checked over the controls, quickly becoming familiar with them. As the huge machine was brought to mechanical life, a computer screen powered up and asked for a password. The intruder attached a small box to the computer's central processing unit and it began to chirp, a cheerful, regular sound. A red light on the box at last turned green, and the chirp became drawn out for a few seconds. A smile came to the pale face, and a gloved hand removed the cube and popped into a pocket of the black leather jacket.

The randomizer works well. It tracked down the password in mere minutes. It was foresighted of me to... appropriate such a useful piece of technology. I am sure I will need it later when I confront International Rescue in its lair.

Fingers danced over the keyboard as the intruder programmed in a course. The yellow behemoth began to roll, crashing through the fence as it headed out into the jungle, sawing down and swallowing trees, leaving a path of cleared, turned up earth behind it. The figure smiled widely and sat back in one of the control room chairs, putting booted feet up on a console.

This should get their attention, the villain known as the Hood thought. Now all I have to do is wait for International Rescue to come and I will have them!

The door buzzer at Eddie Houseman's hotel room sounded, waking the occupant. Eddie groaned as he rolled over and noted the time through bleary eyes.

"One a.m.! I didn't ask for a wake up call at one a.m.!" He flung back the covers and sat up, scrubbing his stubble covered face with both hands as whoever was using the buzzer added shouting and pounding on the door to his repertoire.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming! Hold onto your shorts!" Eddie groused loudly as he pulled on a bathrobe. "Who is it, anyway?"

"It's me, Bob. Open up, Eddie! We've got a big problem!"

Eddie stumbled over to the door and opened it for his partner. Bob looked as bad as Eddie felt, gray hair askew, clothes thrown on haphazardly.

"So, what's so important that you woke me up at such an ungodly hour?" Eddie snapped. Bob took a deep breath and began to explain. Five minutes later, Eddie was pulling on his clothes.

"Are you sure we can't shut it down?" he asked the older man.

"Yes, I'm sure. Whoever did this was a pro. Circumvented the alarms, stayed in the shadows so the cameras couldn't get a good shot, managed to hack into the systems and find the activation password, and even cut off the communications antenna so we can't download the override code. I tell you, Eddie, this is serious!" Bob cried, his voice taking on a tone of both frustration and desperation.

"The Crablogger shouldn't get too far," Eddie replied. "It's bound to run out of Superon sooner or later."

"The pulping end, yes. But not the cutter. That's powered by an atomic generator. It will end up hauling the pulper along with it, which will put a strain on the engine. And if that thing overloads...."

"I get the picture," Eddie growled. "Can we get a man in there?"

"At this time of night?" Bob asked, incredulous. "Not a chance. And if it stays on it's projected path, it will hit the town of Siba just about the time that generator would go critical. I tell you, whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing!"

"So what you're telling me is that we have a snowball's chance in hell of stopping this thing?" Eddie asked. Bob nodded. "If we can't stop it...."

"...International Rescue can," Bob said, finishing his partner's sentence. "They've done it before."

"I don't know, Bob," Eddie responded slowly. "I'm sure they have more important things to attend to."

"More important than saving a whole town?" Bob pressed, waving his arms for emphasis.

Eddie stood silent for a moment, then he sighed. "When you put it that way... okay. I'll call International Rescue." He went over to his briefcase and pulled out his satellite phone.

"Good!" Bob exclaimed. "I'll get out to the equipment yard and see what I can do to bring the security grid back online. I just hope they can get here fast!"

"Me, too," Eddie said fervently. He activated his phone. "Calling International Rescue. I have an emergency. Come in please. This is Eddie Houseman calling International Rescue. Do you read? International Rescue, I have an emergency...."

Jeff started awake as the emergency signal rang through the house. He checked the time, one-thirty a.m. Suppressing a groan, he rolled out of bed and put on his dressing gown, tying it as he headed, barefoot, to the lounge.

"...an emergency. Do you read? This is Eddie Houseman of Gray and Houseman calling International Rescue. I have an emergency. Come in please..." Eddie's voice droned on and on, a note of desperation beginning to creep in as he continued to get no answer.

"Eddie?" Jeff turned at Sally's surprised gasp. Filing in behind her were Christa and Mae, each of them in bathrobe and nighty.

"Eddie? Then we have a problem," JC stated flatly as she made her appearance in oversized football jersey and shorts. "He knows our voices from when he came to try and recruit Tin-Tin for his operations."

"True," Jeff said. "But we can't let this go. We'll have to take a risk that he won't recognize our voices."

"No, wait, Daddy," Christa said suddenly. "Let Val answer him. She was in Thunderbird Five when Eddie came to visit. He'll know her voice as International Rescue but not as a Tracy."

"Good idea, Christa," Jeff said. "Jerrie, get Val up here on the double." JC nodded, then ran from the room. "Mae, come over here. We need to pinpoint where Eddie is calling from using the GPS relay on Thunderbird Five."

"Okay, Daddy," Mae said amiably. She hurried behind her father's desk, sitting in his chair as he activated his computer and its plasma screen. Her manicured fingers flew over the keyboard and a map of the world came up. Smaller boxes appeared, each zeroing in on Eddie's current position.

"There he is, Daddy. He's in the town of Miri, in the Malaysian portion of Borneo," Mae said with satisfaction.

"Good job, Mae," Jeff responded, then his, and everyone else's attention was drawn to Valentina as she entered the room. She was followed by JC and by Ruby, who complained loudly about having her favorite granddaughter awakened.

"Jefferson Tracy, what do you think you're doing?" she asked sharply. "Don't you realize that Valentina needs more sleep? She's still under Brains's care!"

"Can it, Ruby, and sit down," Jeff snapped. "Eddie Houseman is calling with an emergency and she's the only one whose voice he won't recognize as belonging to the family. Now, Val. Come over here and answer this call."

"F-A-B, Daddy," Val said as she crossed the room. Mae relinquished Jeff's seat to her younger sister, and Val flipped a switch on her father's desk.

"This is International Rescue. What is the nature of your emergency?" she asked, her tones both businesslike and soothing.

"Oh, thank God! I was afraid you couldn't hear me!" Eddie said with relief. "Someone has stolen a Crablogger from my equipment yard and it's heading for the town of Sibu. Whoever it was severed the communications antenna so we can't contact them or download the override command. The pulper will soon run out of fuel, but the cutter will continue on, towing the pulper. The added strain on the atomic generator may send it to critical. I'm told we don't have the means to put a man in the command level. Can you help?"

Christa nudged JC. "Not another Crablogger!" she groaned quietly. Sally, who had heard her, rolled her eyes. She remembered their last run-in with a Crablogger very well.

"Yes, we can," Val replied. "Give us the GPS frequency of the machine and the override code and we'll do what we can." Jeff pointed to Sally, who nodded and headed for the entrance to Thunderbird One. Christa noticed this and walked across the room to the rocket painting and her entry slide to Thunderbird Two. Then Jeff tapped Mae's shoulder and made a motion that she should go, and nodded to JC, who returned the signal and left the room, followed by Mae.

"Downloading those figures to you now," Eddie told her. "You do not know how much I owe you. First for saving me from that landslide and for what you're going to do now. If you ever need my help, you say the word."

"Acknowledged. Our vehicles are on their way." Indeed, the lounge shook minutely as Thunderbird One roared out from under the pool and into the night sky.

"Where should I rendezvous with them?" Eddie asked. Val looked over at her father, who shook his head. Outside, the twin rear engines of Thunderbird Two blazed a bright trail through the darkness.

"That won't be necessary," Val said hastily. "Our ships will track it from the air and head it off."

"Oh, okay," Eddie replied, regret in his voice. "I was hoping to meet the people who saved me last time and thank them personally."

"We appreciate your sentiment. I'll pass your thanks onto our people when the job is done. International Rescue out." She closed down communications with him and blew out a breath, shaking her head. "I'd better upload the GPS frequency and the override code to Sally and Christa." She looked up at Jeff. "At least we don't have to ask Penny to retrieve the code for us like last time."

When Jeff didn't respond, Val looked up at him. He was looking out in the distance and frowning.

"What's up, Daddy?" she asked. He looked down at her, concern on his features. He shook his head slowly.

"Something doesn't feel right about this. Why steal a Crablogger? It's not exactly something you can run away in, especially once it runs out of fuel. It's hard to hide, and leaves a clear trail behind itself." He sighed. "I am very much afraid that this is a trap."

"A trap?" Ruby remarked scathingly from where she had sat down after Jeff's sharp words. "And you've sent your girls out to spring it, haven't you?"

"I don't see that I had any choice, Ruby," Jeff retorted, bristling. "Trap or not, lives are at stake here. I'll just have to warn the girls to be extra careful." And pray that I'm wrong.

"F-A-B, base," Sally said smartly as she acknowledged her father's concern. "Will be on my guard. Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One. Did you get that, Christa?"

"F-A-B, Sally," Christa acknowledged grimly. "What's the plan?"

Sally, who was flying over the huge yellow machine, contemplated her options. "I think we'd better land at Eddie's equipment depot. Then we can unload the Mobile Crane and go after that thing. It's top speed is only forty miles per hour and GPS indicates it's going about twenty right now. Once the back end runs out of fuel, that will be cut back. The Mobile Crane is much faster."

"Aren't you afraid that Eddie will see you and recognize you?" Christa asked her sister.

Sally made a face. "It's a calculated risk, but one I'll have to take. I'll set One down so that when I get out, the Crane will obscure me as I run across. Hopefully he won't even see me, much less recognize me." She looked at her sensor readings. "I'm over the depot now and will set down."

"F-A-B. I'm four minutes behind you," Christa replied. She heard JC snort behind her. "What's your beef?"

"Sally going to drive again?" JC asked.

"Nope. I'm driving. You and Sally can go up and get inside and Mae can keep me on track," Christa explained. "Right, Mae?"

There was no answer. JC looked at her blonde older sister, and reached out to pull the headphones out of her ears.

"Hey!" Mae cried angrily, glaring at JC.

"Earth to Mae. We're almost at the Danger Zone," JC informed her.

"You could have just told me." Mae sniffed. "You didn't have to be grabby!"

"If you'd been listening to the talkback, you'd already have known it," Christa chided. I know who's next on Daddy's calendar!

"There's Sally," JC called, looking at the monitors.

"Right. Let's get this show on the road... so to speak," Christa said. "I'm setting her down now."

Landing and unloading the pod was the work of about ten minutes and then the little group was on its way. Christa had seen Eddie approach the pod as she pulled the Mobile Crane out of it, but she maneuvered the vehicle quickly over to Thunderbird One. JC used the remote to close the pod as Sally climbed aboard.

"Move over, I'm driving," Sally said brusquely.

"Like hell you are," Christa responded peevishly. "You and JC can go topside. Mae can navigate. I'm a much better driver, and besides, if this is a trap, you and Jayce are better equipped for dealing with it."

JC tapped Sally on the shoulder. "She has a point." There was a moment of silence, then, grumbling, Sally took a passenger seat. JC shook her head. The problem with having five women living in such close quarters is that we all cycle about the same time. Poor Daddy. I'm glad that I'm last on the list for this, she thought.

"Everyone secure?" Christa asked. She got a grunt, a "yes", and a sharp "F-A-B". "Okay, here we go!" she said as she floored the accelerator and they took off after the hulking yellow machine.

The Hood peered at the readouts from the pulper. Hmm. Not too much longer and I'll have to shut down the processor and then things will get interesting. Where are you, International Rescue? You should have been here by now.