Just to prove I haven't forgotten this, an update! It's been a long time coming, I know, and I apologize for that. I do know where the story is going and I have more written. It's a matter of filling in the gaps. I hope you enjoy this bit. Thanks to ThatGirlSix for betaing this and getting me to cut some disgusting dog-related stuff.

"TRAC 0004, requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted and welcome home. Come join us in the dining room when you're ready."

Rhea smiled. "See you in a bit, Dad, and thanks." She looked over to John. "Dining room, at this hour?"

"Sounds like the boys just got home. Wonder what went down?" John surveyed his instruments, bringing the jet low over the water, heading for the landing strip. He flipped a switch. "Tin-Tin, we're making final approach."

"Thank you, John." Tin-Tin's voice filtered into the cockpit. "Everything's secured back here."

"F-A-B," John replied, grinning. Rhea glanced upwards, shaking her head a little before turning her gaze to watch the tarmac roll up towards the plane.

They touched down smoothly, slowing appreciably as they approached the smaller door, already opening into the brightly-lit hangar. They eased past Thunderbird Two, raised up on her spindly-looking legs. The pod's open door revealed the Mole, its corkscrew drill bit packed with dirt and rock.

"Looks like the Mole had a workout."

John's blasé tone made Rhea frown at him. He glanced over at her, surprised by her expression. "What?"

She paused, trying to think of what to say. "You're usually excited to be planetside, to get your hands dirty on rescues. You don't sound so excited now."

He sighed. "Ray, I've been going non-stop since I got home. I'm exhausted. Give me some rest, Grandma's good food, some sun, and then watch me go."

"I'm sorry." She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm tired, too. It's been a rough couple of days."

John smiled as he brought the jet to a stop. "Maybe we'll both get some rest this holiday."

He picked up a datapad and downloaded the mileage they'd flown. "I'll do proper post flights later." He unbuckled his restraints, stretching his long arms up as far as the cockpit allowed. His neck made little crackling sounds as he rolled his head around. "Man, I forgot how long that flight is, even at Mach 2!"

Rhea huffed a laugh. Craning her neck and looking out the co-pilot's side window, she waved. "Look, there's Kyrano! Let's get out of here. The dogs probably need to do their business."

She unfastened her safety harness and headed back into the cabin. She found Tin-Tin and Kyrano embracing near the lowered steps, exchanging greetings in French while an antigravity float hummed patiently beside the retainer.

John leaned out the door. "Hey, Kyrano."

Kyrano beamed at him. "Hello, Mister John. Shall I take the luggage from the hold?"

"Sure. I'll help Rhea take the beasts from their crates, then pitch in, okay?"

Rhea appeared at the top of the steps, Bodie on a leash. She smiled as she led the dog to the hangar floor. "Hello, Kyrano. Did you get my message about the dogs?"

"Greetings, Miss Rhea." Kyrano bowed slightly. "I did indeed receive your message and have made arrangements for the delivery of more food."

Rhea sighed with relief. "Thanks so much. You're a lifesaver!" She turned as John urged Bruno down the steps. "Come on, you big mutts. Time for walkies!"

John handed Bruno's leash to Rhea. "Here, take him. I've got to help with the luggage."

"Okay. We'll be up soon."

He turned in mid-stride. "Don't be too long. Grandma gets impatient and there might not be anything left if you wait."

Rhea snorted a laugh as she led the dogs outside. "Ha! If there's none left, I know who ate it all!"

xxxx

John made it upstairs just in time to hear Scott.

"So, in the future," Scott paused as everyone's attention turned toward the newcomer. He exchanged a brief nod with John before repeating himself. "As I said, in the future, please inform each other where you've put the equipment." He sounded sober and slightly chiding. "We lost valuable time having to clean out the imager and laser cutter."

John settled into a seat next to Virgil. Patricia gave him a kiss on the cheek on her way to the kitchen. "Where's Rhea?" she whispered.

"She's coming." John kept his voice down. "Had to walk the dogs."

Patricia huffed quietly, shaking her head. "I'll be right back."

Their little exchange meant John missed some of his father's comments. He tuned in to hear Jeff ask, "Alan, any news on our little rescuee?"

Alan sounded as if he were in the room, not floating tens of thousands of miles above the earth. "Broken leg, some bruising and scraping. He may lose a few toes, too, from circulatory deprivation. Agent 44 reports that the doctors aren't quite sure yet. His parents are with him in Seoul and the grate has been replaced on the drain."

"Will Kwan do what I asked?" Gordon sounded so serious John wondered if something had gone wrong on the rescue.

"Yes," Alan replied. "One new soccer ball will be delivered to Jintao's hospital room, courtesy of International Rescue."

Virgil chuckled, his tone warm. "I bet he'll be the envy of all his friends." He turned his head and leaned forward a little.

John followed his gaze; Rhea stood in the doorway, her dogs flanking her. John waved her in, pointing to the seat next to his. She put up a finger, mouthing the word, "Wait."

John missed Scott's good-humored reply. Whatever he'd said caused his brothers and father to laugh.

Jeff asked, "Is there anything else?" From the rescue team came a murmur of negatives. "Then this debriefing is adjourned."

Rhea stepped into the dining room just as Grandma put a plate before John. "Sorry it took us so long."

"Ah, there you are!" Jeff crossed the room to embrace her. She dropped the leashes, stepping forward to return the hug with a fierceness that always surprised her. He kissed her on the forehead, as he usually did, pulling back to look at her at arm's length. "Welcome home! How was your flight?"

"Long but not boring, since I had John to talk to." She grinned at John, who thanked his grandmother before shoving in the first bite. Her gaze traveled to the big screen where Alan's live picture "Alan! You all right up there? I heard something about a sprained ankle-"

Alan groaned. "I should have expected that. My ankle is fine, thank you very much. How are you?"

"Better now that I'm here." Rhea took the seat nearest the dining room doors. Jeff pulled her chair out for her while Bodie wormed her way beneath the table. Bruno laid down behind his mistress.

"You are looking too pale, Rhea. Are you hungry?" Patricia came from the kitchen with a plate of chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes, placing it down in front of her granddaughter. "What would you like to drink?"

"It's good to see you, too, Grandma." Rhea took the silverware that her brothers passed to her. "Just water, thanks. It's three in the morning today back in New York and I don't need any caffeine keeping me awake." She glanced around. "Where's Brains?"

"He took his dinner down to the lab around seven. As far as I know, he hasn't left it." Patricia put a tall glass of ice water down, taking the chair across from Rhea. "Tin-Tin took a plate down with her. Said she'd had a nap on the way back and wanted to get some more done before bed." The old woman shook her head, raising her voice enough to be noticeable. "Those two are working entirely too hard." Jeff stopped, glancing at her before wandering back to his seat.

He sat down, falling into a quiet discussion with Scott. Both Gordon and Virgil looked freshly-showered but Alan let out a big yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth. Rhea chuckled a little as she began to eat.

"On that note, I'll say goodnight." Alan waved at his sister. "Ray, good to see you again. I hope we can talk later."

She hastily swallowed some potatoes. "Count on it." She waved her fork, her voice thick. "Goodnight."

Her sentiment was echoed by the others around the table. As he gave them a final, "Thunderbird Five, out," Alan's picture disappeared.

John sat back, wiping his mouth with a linen napkin. "Grandma, this is great! Worth coming home to."

Patricia beamed. "I'm so glad you liked it. It's lucky you all showed up before these boys ate it all! I'll bring out some dessert when Rhea is finished." She turned back to Rhea. "So you'll be here more than a week?"

Rhea held up a finger as she drained half the water. She patted her lips dry. "Pretty much. I figure I'll leave a week from tomorrow to give myself a day to recoup. I gave Therese the week off, too. I wasn't going to be there, after all. I did have Andrew call-"

"I knew he'd called but I didn't know why." Patricia reached out to refill Rhea's glass. "It was good of you to let Therese have the whole week. We'll get you all fed and rested."

Rhea and John continued to eat as, one by one, their brothers got up to leave. "I need to do post-flights on Thunderbird One," Scott said. "Then I'll help with the Mole."

"Sounds good. Thanks." Gordon grinned as he passed behind Rhea, leaning over to murmur, "Welcome home, Rat," in her ear. Bodie growled from under the table while Bruno lifted his head to keep the redhead in sight.

Rhea rolled her eyes. "Good to see you too, Gords." Once he was out of earshot, she sighed. "I guess I'd better make sure nothing's been tampered with." She scooped up the last bit of fruit cobbler. "Everything was great, Grandma. Thank you."

"Would you like more?" Patricia was ready to get Rhea seconds, but the younger woman shook her head.

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

Scott skirted around Bruno on his way out. "Good to see you in one piece, Ray."

Rhea smiled, a little rueful expression. "Good to see you, too, Scott. Thanks for letting John fly this time."

He shrugged. "It was Dad's call, not mine. Thank him." He slid his hands into his pockets as he sauntered out of the dining room.

"Dad told us what went down." Virgil stopped to put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She sighed again. "Yeah, I'm okay. Really. I probably won't stay up much longer, though, so I'll see you at breakfast."

Virgil snorted a laugh. "Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it!" He headed out to the hallway, stretching and yawning as he did.

Shaking her head, Rhea pushed back her chair, picking up her plate and glass as Jeff came towards her. "Did you have to tell the whole world?"

"I'll take care of that this time, dear. John, I'll take yours, too." Patricia put out her hands and Rhea gave her the dishes, not missing the slight emphasis on "this time".

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Yeah, thanks." John handed his dishes over, placing them on top of Rhea's

Rhea pulled out the chair beside her so Bodie could claw her way out from under the table. Bruno was already accepting rubs from a crouching Jeff. Bodie moved in for petting, too. The two dogs jostling for attention knocked Jeff on his rear.

"Bruno! Bodie!" Rhea called. "Heel!"

The two dogs returned to her side. John, who had been on his way out, offered their father a hand up. "You okay, Dad?"

"Nothing hurt but my pride," Jeff smiled ruefully. "Those two are a handful!" He gave each dog a last ruffle. "Heading to bed, son?"

"Yeah." John yawned, stretching. "I'd offer to help the guys but it was a long flight. I'll handle post-flights on the Family Van in the morning if that's okay." He leaned over to give his sister a kiss on the cheek, which she returned. "Goodnight."

"See you at breakfast."

"Breakfast? I'm with Virgil on that one – believe it when I see it." John grinned as he made his way around the table to Patricia. "Jet lag will have its way." He hugged his grandmother, kissing her on the forehead. "G'night. Thanks again for a great meal."

Patricia smiled. "And goodnight to you. See you in the morning."

"Dad, see you tomorrow." John gave a last wave before sauntering from the room, hands in his pockets.

Jeff ran a critical eye over his daughter. "You look like you're wilting."

"I am." She yawned, running a hand through her hair. "Better get these two some water and kibble; they've waited long enough." Standing, she called the dogs to her side. They met Patricia at the dining room doors. The two women hugged. "Thanks again for the meal; it was great."

"You're welcome, honey. I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too." Rhea picked up the dogs' leashes before moving down the hallway toward her suite. Most of the family lived upstairs, with quick access to the lounge in case of emergency. Rhea lived on the ground floor which made getting her dogs outdoors a lot easier.

She wasn't surprised to find her father pacing her down the hall, Bruno between them.

"In answer to your question: I didn't tell the whole world. I just told the family." Jeff frowned a little. "Didn't you want them to know about this?"

"I wanted to tell them myself, but..." She shrugged a little. "I should have expected you'd say something."

They walked in silence until they reached her suite. She opened the door as she let the dogs off their leashes. "Go ahead, you two." They crowded through, Bruno a little in the lead. Motion-sensitive lights went on inside.

Rhea turned to her father. "John's probably right. I'll likely sleep in."

Jeff smiled. "I'll try to keep Gordon from playing 'Reveille' at the crack of dawn."

She chuckled. "Thanks, Dad." Her chuckle ended in a deep sigh, one of relief. "It's good to be here."

"It's good to have you home." He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Don't feel like you have to stay up."

"I won't." Waving a little at him, she stepped through the door. It closed silently behind her.

Jeff sighed. "Better go see what the brains of the operation are up to so I can chase them both to bed if necessary."

xxxx

Tin-Tin stretched and yawned before settling back into her chair. "We need more information. The data that the probes have provided..."

"Is n-not enough, I agree." Brains was scanning lines of numbers, his screen set to maximum text size. "We n-need samples and better scans. If Mr. Tracy decides to s-send a mission-" His comment broke off as Jeff entered the lab.

Tin-Tin smiled. "Hello, Mr. Tracy."

"Welcome home, Tin-Tin." Jeff pulled up a tall lab stool, sitting down across the table from Brains. "Any news?"

"There's not much new to report. The probes' images aren't giving us the data we need." Tin-Tin rubbed her eyes a bit.

"So it looks like we've got to take a trip." It was a flat statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir." Brains nodded. "I still don't understand why the, uh, W-World Government doesn't see the, uh, d-danger."

"I don't either. I'm of the opinion they do but don't want to admit it. I can't believe they're truly blind." Jeff sounded disgusted. "They want us to deal with this threat, as usual."

Tin-Tin frowned. She got up to put a hand on Jeff's arm. "You sound so cynical. It's not like you."

Jeff gave her a sad smile and patted her hand. "I'm not usually a cynical person, Tin-Tin. I like to believe the best, in people and for the future. But this ... this may be well beyond our capabilities. It's the biggest challenge we've ever faced, or ever will face, if the fates are kind. I don't know that we can do it." He shook his head. "Failure means losing so much."

"Mr. Tracy." Brains rose from his seat and moved to face his employer. His light blue eyes met Jeff's darker blue ones. "You have a-always said, 'Never g-give up at any c-cost'. And I'm not willing to, uh, give up, not yet. We still have a ch-chance to defeat this but we must d-do it together." He paused, straightening his shoulders. "That's why I think you n-need to tell the boys about this now. Their input could be, uh, invaluable."

There was a long, drawn-out sigh before Jeff shook his head. "No. I want as many of our ducks in a row as possible before we broach the subject to them. When we're nearly ready, then I'll involve them."

The two engineers exchanged worried glances. "M-Mr. Tracy," Brains began, "we r-really need-"

"To get some sleep," Jeff said quietly. "My mother continues to point out she thinks you're both working too hard and I have to agree. If nothing else convinced me, that long nap you took during the rescue did." He rose, giving them both a benevolent smile. "You're both to quit for the night and come back fresh in the morning." Moving towards the door, he paused and pointed at each of them. "Consider that an order."

The doors parted; he stepped through and was gone. Tin-Tin and Brains glanced at each other. She shrugged as he shook his head slowly.

"Perhaps if John spoke with him."

"I d-doubt he'd listen," Brains muttered morosely. He returned to his computer, saving his work before shutting down. "But he's, uh, correct in one matter."

Tin-Tin looked over at him from her workstation. "What's that?"

"We n-need some more sleep." Brains smiled at her, his eyes showing his concern. "You shouldn't have c-come down here after, uh, flying back from New Y-York. I didn't expect you to."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I told you I'd had a lovely nap on the way back. I just couldn't stay in the dining room with those big dogs of Rhea's. They're very intimidating. Coming down here was as much self-preservation as anything."

"Dogs? She brought both?" Brains didn't sound terribly interested; he was just clarifying a point, a habit of his Tin-Tin was used to.

"Yes, she did. You can ask her why tomorrow."

"If I remember to, I, uh, will."

Their computers in hibernation mode, the two left the lab. Brains locked it with his handprint while Tin-Tin called the monorail car. The underground parts of the island were never truly silent; there was always machinery humming somewhere. Tin-Tin found she could identify each sound. A throbbing thrum came from the power plant that lay up the grade from the lab block. The lights above their heads buzzed and a sort of low pitched whine heralded the monorail car as it rounded the bend by the power plant.

The red tram slowed to a stop in front of the lab's platform, allowing Brains to hand Tin-Tin in. He took his place at the controls, setting the course to the elevator banks with deft fingers. She settled onto a padded seat, turning to prop an elbow on an inside railing while supporting her head with a gently curled fist.

"Do you think we can do it?"

Brains glanced her briefly before turning back to stare out the front window of the car. "We h-have to. There's, uh, no other choice and one else who can."

xxxx

"She's what?" The voice on the other end of the phone rose to a screech. The man pulled it away from his ear.

"She's gone. Left early for the holiday. Didn't come into the office at all today and when I asked around, I was told she was on her way to her father's place."

"Damn! And here we were planning for both her and her brother this weekend."

"What?! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He spoke softly and urgently, shaking his head, even though his caller couldn't see him. "We discussed this. It's too soon. Henderson is going to be touchy about security for months now. She'll make sure anyone named Tracy is thoroughly covered, no matter where they go."

"Even at her father's place?" The voice sounded thoughtful and speculative.

His eyes widened in incredulity. "Her father's place? Are you kidding? Do you know where he lives? I don't! All I know is he lives on a private island in the southern Pacific. Its location is one of the best kept secrets in the world. He's locked up the coordinates somehow; only the family and a few very close friends know where it is." He paused. A buzzer had gone off in his office. "I have to get back to work. Later."

He cut off the call before responding to the buzzer. "Yes, Tammy?"

A perky voice responded. "Sir, there are two detectives here. They'd like to speak to you about yesterday."

He drew in a sharp breath, letting it out slowly and allowing himself to relax. He had nothing to worry about, after all. He was secure, well-hidden. No one could connect him with Tellus Prime or with those two imbeciles whose fate had been sealed before the day was new. He nodded to himself, adjusting his tie, confident of his camouflage. "Show them in, Tammy."