Under normal circumstances, the average person can hold their breath for around a minute and a half. But amid panic and terror, adrenaline levels rapidly rising, you're looking at only a few seconds. So when the call came in that the passenger car had sunk under the water, I started to prepare myself for the worst.

We headed at top speed through the busy city and my mind was split in two: half of me concentrating on weaving through the traffic and the other side running through the possibilities of what we were about to face. The car has sunk. Not a good sign. Sinking means it's not airtight and that means water could be flooding the compartment. And who knew how long it would be until it was full, the passengers gulping down lungful after lungful of all the silt and toxins of the murky Thames water.

It took only two minutes to speed from the station and head along Waterloo Road, pausing briefly before then disobeying red traffic lights and turning into the crowded pedestrian zone beside the gallery. And then it became a matter of negotiating the obstacle course of abandoned cares and vans that excited onlookers had simply left in the road before they ran in for a closer look.

Once through the maze of cars to the green gardens beyond, we then had to find our way through the crowds of gathered tourists, local residents and workers from the city. The blinking lights gave little warning in broad daylight but our sheer size and the two-tones alerted them to our arrival. Before Anna had even chance to tug on her jacket and alert dispatch to our arrival, I had guided us alongside the gardens and we suddenly beheld chaos.

There they were. The craft that the whole city had been buzzing excitedly over. And, for a second, all I could think was how much bigger they were in real life. Peering out through the windscreen and staring up at the blue-silver jet, I paused for a moment at the edge of the grass.

"Bob?"

A tug on my sleeve startled me back to the task in hand and I now saw the policewoman who was flagging us down and indicating a cleared path through the gathered onlookers. I nodded and headed across the grass towards the Millennium Pier, guided by the instructions of other officers.

My heart in my throat, I jumped down from the cab and gasped as I then heard the noise. The air shuddered with the immense power of the green ship that hovered over the water a short way off. I stared in open-mouthed awe for a second and then Anna was at my side. I took the heavy bag of emergency kit she held out to me and jogged after her, autopilot kicking in as I scanned the area for potential customers.

We ran along past the Eye and headed for the quayside where a group of iridescent police uniforms had gathered, confirming to our horror that the only casualties that needed our help were still trapped beneath the waves.

I then watched in wonder as a hatch opened on the mammoth green ship and a small yellow craft dropped into the dark, cold waters of the Thames. A few moments later, a figure appeared on the same hatch, and appeared to dive into the water.

Suddenly there was a roaring overhead and the ground shook as a giant red rocket landed on the grass near the silver and blue one. A door opened near the bottom and five figures rushed out and headed for the pier. They stood silently, staring out over the water that was just now beginning to froth and bubble. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the drama unfold.

Without warning, the surface of the water began to bubble and the monorail car appeared, followed shortly by the yellow craft. Cheers erupted all around me, and Anna threw her arms around me in a hug.

We watched as the car was towed to the pier, then quickly made our way down to the water's edge, arriving at the same time as the yellow sub's hatch opened and two kids climbed out. My God! They can'tbe older than fifteen! I watched as they rushed towards what I assumed were the other members of their team, assembled at the pier, then turned my attention to the people climbing out of the wrecked monorail car. Grabbing my kit, I hurried towards them.

Thankfully, there seemed to be no serious injuries. I was tending a little girl who seemed more frightened than hurt so I barely looked up as a rush of wind and a roar flew over me. Figuring the Thunderbirds as they were called, had wrapped things up and were now heading home, I kept my attention on the victims. Something out of the corner of my eye then caught my attention and I turned.

A young man had dropped to his knees a short distance away. I got to my feet and rushed to his side. "Are you alright, mate?"

His breath came in ragged gasps as I eased him down on the ground.

"Can't…can't breathe…"

"Just relax, you'll be fine." For the first time I noticed his right arm was immobilized by a sling and his features were bruised and battered. Taking a closer look, I was stunned to see he wore a rather ragged International Rescue Uniform. It had the name "John" emblazoned on his chest. "John? I need you to relax."

"Trying…Can't…" His blue eyes were wide with fear.

"Easy breaths…in…out…there you go." I felt for his pulse. It was weak and unsteady. Before I could say anything else, his eyes rolled up in his head and he went limp in my arms.

I laid him back carefully, my hand quickly moving up behind his neck to guide his heavy head onto the grey pavement. Beneath the sweat and dirt from god-knows-where, his skin was pale and I leaned down over him, sighing with relief as I felt a gentle breath meet my cheek.

"Hey!"

I flicked my head up and saw the two similarly dressed men running at me. There was more than concern in their approach and I backed off from the patient. With a flick of my hands and a brief smile, I then signalled urgent reassurance and indicated the bag at my side. "Paramedic." I offered quickly.

They weren't listening.

"Shit!" The taller of the two was on his knees and gently nudging the shoulder of his fallen comrade. The action heralded a weak groan from the casualty in question and I glanced down to see him blinking his eyes open briefly.

"John? Oh hell, no." The second man was now moving in close and gently pushing me aside.

"I can help." I protested carefully.

The younger of the two spun and glared at me warily. His eyes then dropped from my face and were searching the bright jacket that was usually an immediate relief to people. But not these guys. He seemed even more cautious of me now and a frown hooded his eyes as he looked back up at my face in uncertainty. God, he wasn't much older than the kids that had emerged from that yellow thing. What the hell was going on here?

"Paramedic," I repeated softly, reaching inside my jacket for the ID pinned on my chest pocket.

"John?"

The older one was jogging the casualty once again. I bit back a groan of dismay as my instincts screamed a warning within me.

"Shit! We gotta get him out of here! Virg, grab his legs."

"Ow! Oh - god - " Rough movement had torn the casualty awake and he was whining in protest, his face tight with pain.

I gasped in horror as the fleetingly conscious man was grabbed under the shoulders and about to be dragged across the gardens. I quickly placed a firm hand on the younger man's arm and shook my head urgently.

"Back off!" Came the sudden growl from the elder, "We've got this."

"Wait, please!" I moved closer, protectively, now seeing the gash in the right sleeve and the slick red smear on the stone path from an as yet unidentified source.

"Scott …" His eyes still trained on me, perhaps trying not to look down at the crimson stain by his knees, the youngest seemed to understand my urgency. "I think we need to let - "

"Bob." I nodded.

His frown faded a little. "Bob." He echoed and turned to his colleague. "Let Bob help him."

"But - "

"Scott." I ventured carefully, "These injuries look pretty serious …"

"Then we'll take care of him at home." The older one, Scott, once again tried to heave his team-mate to a sitting position.

John moaned in pain, his eyes clenched shut.

"Scott stop! He may not make it home." The younger one stared intently at the older for a moment, then turned to me. "We need you to swear to complete anonymity." He said to me, his tone deadly serious.

"Of course."

Scott glared at his younger colleague, then gently eased John back down to the pavement.

The young man moaned again, and I swiftly took my stethoscope out of my bag. Placing it on his chest, I listened intently. My head snapped up to look at the younger man. "We need to get him to hospital. Now."

"How bad is he?" He asked.

I shook my head. "We haven't much time." I said quietly.

He frowned in worry, clearly torn.

"Virgil, what's going on?" Scott demanded.

The young International Rescuer looked up. "Get back to Thunderbird 2. Tell Da- … tell the commander that we're taking him to…" He looked at me.

I thought for a second. "St. Thomas'."

Scott shook his head. "We'll take care of him ourselves."

Virgil grabbed Scott's arm. "There's no time dammit! He'll be dead before we get halfway there!"

I frowned in puzzlement. Clearly there was more to these three men than the bond of team-mates. Another moan from John took back all of my attention.

"Um … way … wait?"

A gentle tug on my sleeve and I watched John roll his head towards me.

John shook his head urgently, his eyes unfocused and distracted by what must have been several hundred severed nerve endings shouting out at once as he moved. "See …" He attempted, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"See what?" Virgil asked quickly.

I glanced back up at John's companions and shrugged my confusion.

"See." John urged, a little louder. "Secret."

"I know." I soothed quickly. "It's okay."

"No." John gripped my sleeve tighter, fighting for enough breath to get out what he was trying to tell me. "Secret!" He insisted in a rasped whisper. "Danger …us …" He groaned in apparent frustration. "Dangerous!"

I frowned, lost as to his meaning.

"Lie still." Virgil cautioned.

"You." John continued, suddenly focused on me, "In danger."

My heart was in my ears and banging out a quick, muddled rhythm. I lifted my head and met Virgil's tear-filled eyes, seeing in them a story it would probably have taken him a lifetime to explain. And somehow just sensing that was enough to explain the value of the man lying at my knees. There was nothing more he needed to say. I nodded and turned to look among the slowly drifting crowds beside us. "Anna!"

Anna frowned as she heard my shout and flicked her head in our direction. Offering a few words of reassurance to those that she had been attending to, she was on her feet and racing back up from the pier.

"Stretcher!" I ordered hurriedly, watching her take a fleeting glance at my casualty and then changing direction to head towards our vehicle.

And then I suddenly noticed the attention my shout had attracted. Colleagues from the police and other paramedics were edging towards us in concern and intrigue and I was now seeing their interest in a new light. I turned back to meet Virgil's ever increasingly worried face and for a second was lost as to what I should do. But instinct soon took over and I could feel a rush of adrenaline turning my stomach over as I made my decision.

"Virg?" Scott urged warily.

I held Virgil's gaze and nodded in reassurance as Anna then returned with the stretcher.

John bit on his lower lip as many pairs of hands slid beneath him and took hold. Even the slightest movement made him whimper quietly and so the yell of protest at the four of us lifting him from the ground was of no surprise, but no less upsetting. We laid him carefully on the stretcher and I could sense Virgil shuddering as John choked on a sob and reached up to grab a handful of his uniform.

"Everything okay here?"

I turned slowly, hardly daring to breathe.

"Bob?" The Sergeant urged in concern, his eyes moving between the injured rescuer, his two companions and then back to me. "Bob? What happened?"

I positioned myself in front of my victim, effectively hiding him from view. "Nothing. Just a casualty. I have it under control." I nodded very slightly at the oncoming police. "I have it under control." I said again, more forcefully this time.

The sergeant stared hard at me for a moment, then nodded. "Very well." He turned and herded off the approaching emergency personnel.

I turned to Anna. "We need to hurry." I urged softly.

She nodded and grabbed the foot end of the stretcher, pulling it hastily towards the ambulance.

"Right." I pushed the head end and leaned down over the casualty. "John, can you hear me?" A low moan came from the IR man on the stretcher. "We're taking you to hospital. I need you to stay awake. Do you understand me John? JOHN!" His eyelids fluttered. "Stay with me."

He nodded, ever so slightly. "I…trying…so tired…" His eyes started closing again.

I grabbed Virgil's arm. "Keep him awake. I don't care how you do it."

Virgil's eyes grew wide and he clutched at John's hand as he jogged along with us. "Hey John, what's the first thing you want to do when we get back h- … to headquarters?"

Whatever John's reply may have been was interrupted by a shout. "Scott!" I looked up to see another member of International Rescue running towards us. As he got closer I realized he was even younger than Virgil. My God! The whole organization is run buy children! I shook off my thoughts and turned my attention back to John.

"What the hell is going on here? John!" The young man tried to get to his colleague's side but was stopped by Scott.

"Gordon, don't. We're taking him to the hospital." Scott answered.

His brown eyes widened. "What?" He shook his head. "No, we can't. You know we can't!" There was an edge of panic to his voice.

"We have to Gordon. We have no choice." His tone softened and he placed his hands on his friend's shoulders. "He'll be OK."

"Scott…" The young man's, Gordon, voice trailed off and Scott pulled him close. Once again I sensed something much deeper than colleagues between these men.

John moaned again. "Hurts…please…"

I tried to smile down at him. "Easy John, we're going now."

We reached the rear of the ambulance and Anna had activated the ramp that was now lowering to receive the stretcher. She opened the adjacent back door and Virgil climbed in, quickly followed by Anna, as I guided the stretcher onto the ramp.

A strong hand gripped my shoulder and I turned to see Scott.

"We have to go secure the 'birds." The young man had an unreadable expression in his eyes and he nodded towards the casualty. "Take care of him."

"I will." I affirmed and felt the ramp rising. I pushed the stretcher inside the ambulance and the ramp levered up to seal across the back of the vehicle. With one last nod at the International Rescue Operatives, I shut the door.

"Okay," I took a deep breath and leaned over John, "Let's give you some oxygen." I slipped the mask over his face and turned the oxygen on full. "Now … let me see just what we're dealing with here."

John kept his eyes on my face and bit his lip against the pain as I first took a look at the deep gash in his arm. Deciding the sling was doing a good job of immobilising the joint, I carefully cut back the uniform and saw the wound. It had already sealed, dark blood and dirt clotting the site. Not wanting to disturb the wound, l left it undressed and then frowned in concern.

"Head." John offered in a whisper, muffled through the plastic mask.

Virgil looked on worriedly as I gently lifted John's head forward and Anna peered underneath, carefully parting his hair to check the wound.

"Deep laceration." Anna commented, grabbing a gauze pad and pressing it against the oozing gash. "And bruising."

Lowering John's head slowly back against the pillow I saw his face grow paler and his eyes glazed for a moment. Pulling my pen torch from my pocket, I flicked the light over his eyes and saw slow but present pupil reaction.

"He said he might have lost consciousness for a moment."

I spun to Virgil in interest.

Virgil's frown deepened, "His GCS was 12 when we got to him … but that improved with oxygen. I thought …" He paused for a moment, obviously weighing up the risks, "We didn't have time to assess him more thoroughly."

"No." John urged suddenly, turning towards his colleague, "Not … not your fault."

I looked between the two of them, noting their soot stained uniforms and sweat-stained faces, and wondered what the hell had happened to them.

Virgil saw my thoughts and gave an apologetic shake of his head.

"Tired …"

My attention back on my patient, I watched him fade out of consciousness for a second and my heart was racing. Then I remembered the blood on the pavement and I groaned in dismay. "Shit! Anna, help me roll him."

Movement brought John back with a start and he shouted in protest as he was gently turned onto his side. Virgil stepped closer and grabbed John's hand, simultaneously using his knee as a wedge to support John.

I held my breath as I saw the burnt hole in the uniform and quickly grabbed my scissors. The flight suit and blood-soaked shirt beneath were almost melted into the charred skin and John shuddered as I carefully peeled back the blackened material. A burn the size of an orange went deep into his skin but there was also blood oozing from the centre. Peering closer, I saw the deep hole and gently pressed beside the wound, the edges parted and a spurt of bright blood arced out onto the mattress.

"Fuc - " Virgil choked and looked away quickly.

I quickly pressed a wad of gauze over the wound and applied pressure.

"God - " John sobbed in protest, recoiling from my touch and trying to roll away. The wound pumped another shot of blood and now I understood his condition.

"Bob?"

I looked up into Anna's concerned face and nodded urgently. "Get us to Tommy's. Quickly."

"Secure for transport." Anna confirmed and hurried past me to clamber through the rear door and run round to the cab.

I turned to Virgil and recalled the clues that indicated his training. "I need to get a line in."

Virgil nodded and steadied John while I collected the necessary equipment.

"Burning …" John whispered huskily, "Burning up."

Virgil pulled one hand free of his gloves and touched John's forehead. "He's cold."

I nodded distractedly, focused on trying to find a vein in John's pale arm.

Virgil grabbed a bag of plasma expander from the cabinet beside him and attached the line, his eyes flicking back to his colleague.

"She … she's burning … burning up." John continued quietly. "Five … gone …"

"Shh …" Virgil soothed, hanging the fluid bag on the hook in the ceiling and then perching on the stretcher beside John, grabbing the rail for support as the ambulance roared into life. "Easy, John. It's okay."

"He … he dest- … destroyed …" John tensed against a wave of pain and the movement shot another spurt of bright blood from the wound.

"Lie still!" Virgil steadied John and glanced at my progress. He then placed his hand on John's cheek and sighed. "It's okay. You're okay, bro' - "

I slid the IV into the small vein I had located and attached the fluids, standing quickly to squeeze the bag into him as fast as possible and steadying my footing as the ambulance rocked sideways. And then suddenly Virgil's words sank in. I watched him leaning over John, the first tears showing, and my heart slammed against my chest.

Brothers.

Suddenly it all made sense. With a deep sense of dread flooding through me, I watched John's eyes close and Virgil gave a gentle nudge at his shoulder to try and bring him round.

"John? C'mon Johnny, stay with me."

John's eyes snapped open. "Virg…sorry…knew it…knew it wasn't a meteor…" He rasped. He then closed his eyes, still muttering.

Virgil leaned close, his voice thick with emotion. "It's OK John."

But John was beyond hearing him. "Anna! How much longer?" I called out.

"I'm working on it, Bob! Shit!" She answered curtly. "The traffic is mad!"

"Try and hurry will you?" I turned back to my patient and then glanced up at Virgil. He was clutching John's hand tightly in his own as he stared down at his brother. "Virgil?" I started. "I need to know what happened in order to start treating him."

"No." Virgil countered quickly. "You don't."

I held his gaze and tried to read the expressionless calm that at once smoothed away his frown and tightened his mouth. Was this a warning? It didn't feel like one.

"Fine." I sighed and turned my attention back to the task at hand, biting back the have it your way, he's your brother retort that threatened. And then Virgil placed his hand on my shoulder and his fingers gave a gentle squeeze. I looked back up at him.

"It's just better you don't know." A small smile had returned and Virgil gave a slight shrug of what seemed to be an apology.

I nodded a reply, my heart racing as suddenly I recalled the police presence and the panic of just a short moment ago. And the fear on the faces of the impossibly young IR personnel, not least the one bleeding to death in the back of my ambulance.

Tbc …