"What do you mean you 'lost him'!" Scott yelled down the intercom "He was right with you! Why didn't you check before you set off that everyone was accounted for?"

"Get off my back, Scott, don't you think I'm beating myself up here anyways, without you grabbing a stick and joining in!" Virgil growled back to his eldest brother. He already felt bad, he had already lost one brother. He did not want to lose another over an argument.

"Watch your tone, Virgil..."Scott started to reply but was interrupted by an incoming call from Tracy Island.

"This should be good" he heard Gordon mutter over the intercom.

"Yes commander, this is TB 1" Said Scott in an official voice now, "What's the problem, I just left the danger zone and TB 2 is just about to follow?"

"Yes, thanks Op1 but no thanks. I heard all of that. Virgil, John, Gordon, where is Alan?" Jeff was serious but all of his boys knew well enough that he was trying to hold in his anger.

"That's just it, dad, we don't know. He was here a moment ago and then we went…oh." Virgil trailed off

"You went where?" said Jeff, beginning to show flashes of anger as he tried to compose his voice.

"Well, Gordon and I packed away the med-kit aboard TB 2 whilst Scott and John went to thank to police I think. We must have lost him there!"

"But I don't understand" said John finally, he had been quiet all the way through Scott and Virgil's argument, "why would Alan just run off. What haven't we noticed." Out of the corner of his intercom screen, Scott saw Virgil flinch at John's words.

"Virgil…" Said Scott menacingly "What haven't you told us". Virgil looked uncomfortable as four sets of eyes were on him.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything but Alan fell asleep on the way here and when I awoke him, he looked petrified. He was all white and shaking, like he was this morning in the lab. I just thought he was tired but…" Virgil trailed off again.

"Virgil, John, Gordon. Find him before you leave the danger zone and then…" Jeff began

"No need." Said Scott suddenly

"What?" everyone else said at once.

"I found him." Scott sighed a sigh of relief and all his family saw it on their screens. "He is here, on TB 1 by the looks of it. I tracked his watch and it has life signs so he is still wearing it. He didn't just dump it on here and hope we wouldn't find him. Looks like he wanted to be found. He locked himself in the on-board storage cupboard. I'll go and get him"

"Good thinking, Scott. Tell him I want a few words with him when you get back. Tracy Island out." As his father signed off, Scott was left looking at three of his youngest brothers.

"Don't be too hard on him Scotty. If Virg is right then there may be something wrong with Allie" Said John.

"Okay, Thunderbird 1 out" Scott signed off and put his 'bird in auto pilot for the long journey home. He walked down the corridors and stopped outside the storage locker where Alan was located.

"Alan? Are you in there? I think we need to talk." Scott said firmly, he wanted to know why his youngest brother had deliberately disobeyed their father. When no answer came Scott lost it and kicked down the door. He stepped inside the huge locker filled with shelves of emergency food and supplies and scanned it until he spotted Alan curled up in the corner, his eyes wide with fear. "Allie?" Scott asked "are you alright?"

Alan had hid in the storage locker for about 15 minutes, he knew his brothers would find him eventually, he just prayed to God that it would be Scott. "Sc-Scott?" he said, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Yeah, Allie it's me. What the he… What are you doing here?" Scott corrected himself. Alan didn't care about it at this point though. He threw himself into Scott's chest and sobbed. Scott was taken aback by this but nonetheless, he scooped up his little brother into his arms and carried him out of the locker into the cockpit. Alan's tears had drenched Scott's uniform by the time he had finished but Scott carried on staring and soothing his baby brother regardless.

"Spill it, Sprout." Scott said steadily, careful not to scare his already terrified brother. Alan looked up at Scott and wiped away his last tear. "I'm a fifteen year old for goodness sake!" He thought to himself. He adjusted himself in his chair where Scott had placed him and tried to open his mouth to speak. Scott deserved the truth, after all, he was the only one Alan trusted at the moment. But Alan found it so difficult to give him the explanation to his actions. He was so tired, so exhausted that he breathed out the explanation as he closed his eyes a drifted off into a deep sleep. Feeling safe and protected, he didn't finish his sentence as the dark took over him.

"Scotty- the Hood-don't hurt me—I'm sorry—mum…" Alan trailed off but Scott heard all of it. His eyes widened at the last word. He was going to press Alan for more information but he saw the pained expression on his brother's face and let him sleep.

He would get it out of Alan when they got home, after he explained to dad that Alan had been so exhausted that he misheard his father's orders and went to the storage cupboard on TB 1 to pack away his supplies but fell asleep in the process. He hated lying to his family but he didn't trust his dad not to get angry with Alan even when he was obviously ill. Scott sighed "You better have a good, long explanation for all this Allie".