The two enter the train and head over to the engineer. Scott introduces them. Brains was still muttering trying to cope with all the stress and fear. Scott could hear his daughters giggling in his ear.
"Hi, we're International Rescue." Scott explains.
"Boy, am I glad to see you." The engineer announces.
"Negative to positive; positive to negative." Brains mutters into their faces.
"Not so sure about you." The engineer states.
[Tracy Island]
Phoebe watches Grandma Tracy bang a can of something on the counter. MAX rolls over to Grandma Tracy who looks at MAX.
"What do you want?" Grandma Tracy asks. MAX whirls at her.
"Why don't I make something for Scott." Phoebe suggests.
"You want to cook?" Grandma Tracy asks.
"Yeah." Phoebe replies.
"Alright, but I'll stay in case you need my help." Grandma Tracy tells her. MAX offers his assistance.
"Yes, you can help too, MAX." Phoebe says.
[The Train]
Brains begins taking the train apart. Scott looks at the Engineer as they watch Brains.
"Okay, the voltage scan checks out and the conductor nodes have been bypassed." Brains mutters to himself.
"Once he's in his element, he's fine." Scott states.
"If you say so." The engineer explains.
"We'll be slowing down in three... two... one..." Brains states and presses a button but nothing happens, "Come on. In three... two..." Some electricity fizzes making him drop the remote.
"OUCH! It should have worked!" Brains exclaims, "It was the train's computer. There is no other explanation. Scott, I did everything–" Brains looks up at Scott and the engineer.
"Okay, I get it." Scott assures him, "It wasn't your fault but we still need to slow down or we'll hit that train. What's your Plan B?"
"Plan B?" Brains asks. The group freaks out. Scott and the engineer head back to the controls.
"Thunderbird Five, can we be switched to another track?" Scott asks.
[Thunderbird Five]
John pulls up the track in his holo-view as he floats inside Thunderbird Five.
"There is a switching point ahead of you, but–" John begins.
"Will we hit the other train before we can get there?" Scott asks.
"With you at full throttle? Afraid so. If you could slow down... even just a little." John warns.
"There's no way. I tried." The engineer explains, "Whatever is messing with the computer, has us locked out. And it's countering every move we make."
"Countering..." Phoebe mutters.
[The Train]
"Let me worry about that. What about adding more weight to the train, Scott?" John suggests, "Maybe land Thunderbird One on top of it?"
"It'd fall off." Scott explains.
"What if you used Thunderbird One's thrusters to pull it back long enough to do the switch?" Phoebe suggests.
"You're a beautiful genius!" Scott exclaims and rushes up to the top of the train. Scott turns Thunderbird One around and Scott and Brains duck down to avoid getting hit with the thruster exhaust. Scott powers up Thunderbird One's thrusters.
[Thunderbird Five]
"Scott, whatever you're doing is having an effect." John explains as he watches.
"I'm using Thunderbird One's thrusters to slow down the train." Scott announces.
"But it's not enough. Can you give it more thrust?" John asks.
[The Train]
Scott gives it more thrust and the train begins to slow down. Scott was impressed that Phoebe had come with a suggestion that was working, on the fly.
"It's working! More, Scott, More!" John exclaims.
"Yes!" Phoebe exclaims.
"This is brilliant, why didn't I think of this?" Brains asks. Thunderbird One breaks off and goes flying. Scott's eyes widen as it flies off.
"That's why." Scott replies.
"Uh-oh." Luna and Willow say in unison.
"Well, it worked... until it didn't." Phoebe explains, "Sorry, honey."
[Thunderbird Five]
"Scott, I'm controlling the switcher from up here. The minute that other train passes I'm switching you onto the track." John announces.
"Not the minute, John, the instant." Scott explains and the train speeds up once more. Phoebe holds her breath without realizing it. She waits for word. The other train passes, and John switches them.
[The Train]
"Whew." Scott breathes out and Phoebe lets out her breath. Scott and Brains head back down into the Train.
"Scott." John announces.
"Yeah?" Scott replies.
"Remember when you asked if there was a switch up ahead and I said there was, but–?" John reminds him.
"I remember that 'but'." Phoebe explains.
"Well, here's the rest. The track you're on now leads to the city's main terminal. And right at rush hour." John admits.
"Any luck getting past that virus or whatever it is?" Scott asks.
[Thunderbird Five]
"It's definitely not a virus." John says, "It's almost like it's thinking for itself."
"The Hood is up to something, I'm telling you!" Alan exclaims.
"Uncle Alan! It's not the scary Mr. Hood!" Luna exclaims.
"It can't be." Willow replies.
"No, it's too sophisticated for him and why am I talking to you? Aren't you supposed to be doing your lessons?" John asks and hangs up on him.
[Tracy Island]
"OH!" Alan complains and sighs, "Alright, what's next?"
"That one, Uncle Alan." Willow states and points to the next lesson.
"Game Theory? Yeah! Oh. I see the theory, but where are the games?" Alan asks.
"A game?" Luna asks.
"I don't see a game either." Willow replies.
"That makes my head all spinny." Luna explains.
"It's too complex for you kids." Alan replies.
"It sounds like it's too complex for you two, Uncle Alan." Willow teases and Alan whines.
[The Train]
"I've tried everything I can think of to scrub it out from the system." John explains to the group on the train, "It's almost as if it has a mind of its own."
"Yeah. Kind of like Alan." Scott teases.
"Scott!" Brains calls out.
"Got to go, John." Scott explains.
"We don't need the computer. I think I can stop the train another way." Brains announces, "I mean, I think YOU can."
"Uh-oh." Scott replies.
"It won't be easy. There'll be a lot to remember." Brains explains.
"Don't worry. I'll pay attention." Scott states.
"Hmm?" Brains mutters, unsure.
"And take notes." Scott replies.
"Good." Brains says. They begin and then Scott heads out and gets to work doing everything that Brains tells him to do. Brains works inside putting the car back together.
"Come on... There." Scott mutters before he heads back inside, "Brains!"
"The computer program, it's bypassed the bypass." Brains announces, "I'll need to rewire the system pathways by hand."
"Alright..." Scott states and heads up to the engineer, "Where's the power cut-off?"
"Over there." The engineer explains and points to it, "Under that cover. But if you press it..."
"I know. Brick wall." Scott replies.
[Tracy Island]
Willow and Alan were both staring at the game theory. Willow was a secret born genius just like most of her uncles and of course her father. She was fully understanding Alan's school work while she was bored with her own.
"John." Alan states and John appears in hologram form.
"Alan, I told you." John begins.
"It's ok. I finished my lesson and I know all about Game Theory now." Alan explains, "Turns out it's just a bunch of math."
"Oh wonderful." John replies.
"But it got me thinking." Alan begins, "Whatever that thing is in the computer... John, I'm pretty sure it wants to play a game with you."
"Alan!" John begins to scold, "A game?" He hangs up.
"John?" Alan asks, "Are you still there?"
"He hung up." Willow says.
[Thunderbird Five]
John floated into another room on Thunderbird Five. He runs into another room in the gravity ring. He pulls up the virus program and John has a look at the virus's code. His eyes narrow.
"You wanna play? Let's play." John explains.
[The Train]
Brains continues to work as he was reworking everything. Brains mutters to himself the entire time. Scott watches him from up beside the engineer. Scott begins pacing back and forth nervously. He was worried about the train slamming into a brick wall and him not being there for his daughters' eighth birthday.
"Connect the secondary relay to the primary operating system. Disconnect the main receiver from Subsystem A." Brains mutters to himself. While he was working, John was playing against the virus.
"Rewire the alternate signal processors into the central transducer." Brains continues to mutter to himself. Scott turns to look at the engineer and walks over to the button, ready to press it if Brains fails again. John continues to work. Suddenly, John's call comes in.
"Good news, Thunderbird One. The control of the Train's computer has been restored." John announces.
"That's great, John. How?" Scott asks.
"The thing that was in it, this artificial intelligence, it had game architecture, and when it thought that I was willing to play, it got distracted just long enough for me to get past it." John explains, "You'll have control of the train now."
"That may be a bit of a problem, Thunderbird Five." Scott replies. Scott turns to look over towards Brains.
"Brains, we need you to hook everything back up the way it was. Very quickly." Scott states.
"How quickly is very quickly?" Brains asks.
"You can do it. I know you can. All it takes is a little confidence." Scott tells him.
"Confidence isn't a problem. T-Time is." Brains replies with his usual stutter, "I don't work well under pressure."
"Then I'll do this myself!" Scott exclaims and grabs a few cables and goes to connect them. Brains grabs them from him to stop him while scolding him.
"Scott, stop! You can't connect those two! Are you trying to get us all killed?" Brains scolds. Scott looks at him nervously. Brains gets to work.
"Re-reroute the primary receiver. Modify the diode conductance." Brains mutters to himself. Scott climbs back up to the engineer and lifts up the safety box for the brick wall switch.
"If we do it, it's got to be before we get to the signal post. Once we pass it, it'll be too late." The engineer tells him. Scott looks back at Brains.
"Convergence modified." Brains continues to mutter, "Reconnecting the central transmission relay to subsection A. No! B." Scott turns around and gets ready to press the button.
"Stop!" Brains states and grabs his hand after running up the stairs.
"I'm sorry. There's no other way." Scott explains.
"Yes, there is. All YOU need is a little confidence..." Brains explains to Scott, "In me." He heads back down and gets back to work. Brains works as fast as he can. He connects the last remaining wires. They hear a sound of the computer reconnecting and the engineer slows them down and stops them just in time. They all climb out of the Train.
"We made it! I've never been so happy to be on the ground in my entire life." Brains exclaims.
"And here I thought my biggest worry today was how to make my daughters have the best birthday party ever in a few days." Scott mutters.
"Looks like you had it in you after all." The engineer explains. A guy runs away.
"What's wrong?" Scott asks.
"It's a disaster! My taxi was ten minutes late and now I'm going to miss the season finale of Celebrity Alligator Wrestling." The guy states.
"Huh?" Scott asks.
[Later - Thunderbird Five]
"Uncle John, maybe I can ask Mommy and Daddy if I can come up and spend a few days with you. That way you're not so lonely. I don't get to spend much time with you after all, Uncle John." Luna explains. John thinks about it but is focused on the virus.
"Yeah, maybe. Hmm. Not much of you left but let's see what you're made of." John explains and he notices something, "That can't be right."
"What is it, Uncle John?" Luna asks.
"I need to talk with everyone." John states and he hits the button for the mission deployment lounge room.
[Tracy Island]
Scott and Brains arrive back at Tracy Island. They head upstairs to the mission deployment lounge room. Alan was sitting on one of the couches near Thunderbird Three's launch bay. Scott looks over at him as he sits down with Brains at one of the other couches.
"You guys okay?" Alan asks.
"Yeah, thanks to you." Scott replies. Willow runs over and climbs into the chair next to Scott.
"See? You should have let me go." Alan states.
"If I'd let you go, you never would have been able to figure out the game thing." Scott points out, "John told us. He also told us that you were reading Alan's school work." He looks at Willow.
"I might have." Alan replies.
"It's really fascinating. I like it a lot. It's so much cooler than my school work. It's boring. I know everything already." Willow explains.
"Mhm. I think Uncle Brains will have to give you a test just to see how smart you are." Scott explains. Willow's cheeks flush red. Scott looks up when John's holocall sounds with a beeping sound.
"Guys, I captured a little piece of the AI's code before it self-deleted itself." John says. Luna runs into the room and sits between Brains and Scott.
"Any idea where it came from?" Scott asks.
"The Hood I'll bet." Alan exclaims.
"No, not him." John says, "I think it might have come from me."
"You, Uncle John?" Luna asks, curiously.
"It's old code, but it's definitely mine." John says, "Somehow it's... evolved."
"What does it want?" Alan asks.
"As far as I can tell? To play." John explains.
"Does that make Uncle John a Daddy too?" Luna asks.
"He's not a Daddy like ours is a Daddy!" Willow explains, "Daddy's a Daddy because he reallllllly loves Mommy." Scott laughs at their wholesome look at it.
"Well, that's some game it was playing." Scott says, "Let's hope if we ever see it again, that it'll be a little more... playful."
"Let's hope." John says, "I'm trying to track it down."
"Good id—" Scott says, and his nose starts going, "Alan, what's that smell?"
"Beats me. It's been around all day." Alan replies, "I've never smelled anything like it."
"It's food. But who could have made it?" Scott asks as Grandma Tracy and Phoebe walk towards them.
"I did. With a little help." Grandma Tracy explains and looks at Phoebe and MAX.
"MAX, you'll never believe what I did. Imagine me, dangling within an inch of my life." Brains exclaims, hugging his robot. MAX chirps at him.
"It's not funny. It was actually quite exhilarating." Brains explains. Brains and MAX head downstairs to his lab.
"Oh well. It was fun while it lasted." Grandma Tracy explains.
"We didn't need MAX's help. I'm an excellent chef." Phoebe explains, "Even if I don't get that much practice."
"Mommy and Grandma Tracy have been cooking all afternoon." Willow explains.
"Daddy, Mommy, can I go up into the space elevator to spend some time with Uncle John?" Luna asks.
"I think it'd be okay, Scott, what do you think?" Phoebe asks.
"Yeah." Scott replies, "But it all looks so good. I don't know where to start." Luna squeals and rushes to the space Elevator.
"You can start with one of my freshly baked cookies. Go ahead, take two." Grandma Tracy says and Scott grabs one.
"F-A-B." Scott says and then almost spits it out, "Tastes like a foot."
"Ugh." Alan says.