I am holiday this week so no real writing for me. I guess it's lucky that I wrote this before I went away then isn't it! :) As ever, reviews make my day so go at it if you like!


Panic was an unusual emotion for the operatives of International Rescue to show. They were usually the ones who calmed the panic, soothed the worry. But now, with fevers still high and good judgement lacking, panic was indeed gripping Tracy Island. After all, the one who usually steadied them was the one currently buried alive in a mine. Hopefully alive. They were all speaking at once, cutting each other, getting in each others way and it was difficult to tell who was saying what as they processed what they had just seen.

"John!"

"Speak to me!"

"Can you hear me?"

"What are the readings on his suit?"

"I don't know, I don't know how to work this thing."

"John?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Find the scanner systems."

"John?"

"Come in John."

"I've found his suit information!"

"What does it say?"

"Nothing."

That last word – they weren't even sure which one of them said it – silenced them. The implications of that being too much to take in in that moment.

Panic was certainly not an alien feeling for Scott. He felt it often when his brothers were in danger, or when the rush of his own adrenaline could no longer keep him moving. What he usually excelled at however was hiding it. He had crafted a flawless persona of someone always in control, always confident and always certain because that is what the others needed to see. He was careful not to let that person out too often when he was off duty as that person wasn't very fun to be around, but when he was International Rescue he prided himself on being cool at all times. The others knew it was a mask he had to wear to do his job – they all had their own ways to cope after all.

But now Scott was sure he was showing his fear. He didn't really worry much about John, usually safely tucked away on Thunderbird 5, as it was the youngest two brothers that caused most of his stress. But not today. He stared at the camera feed, trying desperately to see any movement but there was only dust floating in the air. Scott felt his heart pounding, racing. His vision was beginning to darken round the edges. Was this what a panic attack felt like? He wondered to himself. He'd never had one of those before. Of course he'd never tried to direct a mission with a raging fever and only two hours of decent sleep either.

He lowered his head to his hands. He didn't want to look up and see his brothers – hearts as crushed as John was. How could he have let him go alone? How had he failed John so badly?

In that moment Scott was willing to abandon the core of International Rescue: no number of lives were worth as much as a single one of his brothers. He would trade anything to get him back.

Stillness had followed the silence that consumed the four Tracy's. The feverish – ha! In more ways than one - activity of just a few moments ago was gone, gone as fast as their brother was taken from them. Scott began to feel tears gather and a huge knot form in his chest.

It was only because of this silence that they were able to hear the faint coughing over the comms.

"John? Is that you?" "John?" "John!" Virgil, Gordon and Alan spoke all on top of one another but Scott was frozen as he listened.

More coughing then a raspy voice answered "One at... a time …...please guys."

Relief poured into Scott's weary body. His chest loosened and his vision cleared as he lifted his head. Was that really him?

"Are you ok? Are you hurt? Your suit has gone dark." Scott knew his voice was rough and unsteady but right now he didn't care. For a few terrifying heartbeats Scott thought he had lost his brother: the shift in reality from having four brothers to only having three, to having four again was too much for him.

"Arrgh, …...great, I'll have a look at …...that in a minute" Each pause was punctuated by a gasp and a cough, and Scott could almost feel the dust in his own throat. What was wrong with him.

Now that a few minutes has past and the air was clearing the cameras from the Mole were able to pick up the movement of their brother getting unsteadily to his feet, still coughing. John was alive, he really was. Come on Scott, get a grip, don't fall apart. But he couldn't seem to help it. As he watched John make his way slowly back to the Mole trying to brush dust from his hair he felt the tears finally spill and he started shaking.

Virgil had noticed the state he was in – though he didn't look much better – and threw a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"He's ok" Virgil whispered "and you need something to take your fever down again, you're burning up." That explained it, that was why Scott wasn't in control. He could believe that lie. In the confusion of the aftershock Scott had managed to forget that he was also sick so it came as a relief remember why his emotions were being trampled and upended.

MAX had trundled over to him bringing a bottle of pills and glass of water.

"Thanks MAX" Scott threw a couple of pills down his throat and immediately began to feel a little calmer. That must be placebo rather than the drugs, or maybe the glass of cold water, but Scott wasn't going to question it right now. His tension didn't lesson till John was back in the drilling machine, the door secured behind him. Then Scott sat back and exhaled heavily.

"I'm putting the samples …...in the analyser, have a look at them while I …...check out the suit would …...you?" John said grunting slightly in pain.

"Screw the suit, check yourself out, you sound hurt. John, I'm serious, you're the priority here" Scott demanded of his brother.

"I'll do both at the... same time. Happy?"

Gordon was at the control panel and had managed to access the Mole's internal cameras as well. They could now see as John moved around the small work station in the Mole. He eased himself out of the top half of his suit, so he could inspect the damage and tapped a few buttons on the screen in front of him. It seemed like it must be straight forward as he only took a brief look. As important as a functioning suit was Scott was a lot more concerned with the large bruise that he could already see forming on his brother's back, between his shoulder blades.

"My suit's transmitter is off line – looks like a piece of the ceiling …...hit it square on. It will need to be completely replaced. And before you start I've run a scan on myself – a few bruises... that will ache in the morning, and I think I inhaled quite a lot of dust but nothing serious."

"That's good to hear" Scott wasn't entirely sure that John was going to have to wait to feel those bruises, so couldn't help but ask "Are you ok to go on?"

"Of course, how are you doing with those samples?" John was strictly business and made Scott inordinately proud that one of them at least was keeping it together. More than one in fact, as he could see that while Scott had been working his way back from a panic attack Alan had been running an analysis programme.

"It's strange, it seems the density of the rock has undergone several changes – first to something much more brittle which may have caused the cave in in the first place, now to something much more dense."

"Is that possible? That doesn't seem possible." None of them were geologists, but the nature of the job demanded that they have a pretty good basic knowledge of many areas of science, and this wasn't what anyone was expecting.

"No, that shouldn't be possible. Any idea what they're doing here?"

"Before I came down I tried to find out specifically what …... they are mining, but I came up with nothing but evasion and misdirection." Scott didn't need to see his face to know John was frowning – his didn't like not knowing things.

"We'll put that question on hold for the moment, but it means you will just have to be even more careful John." Scott was unimpressed at this unexpected turn, and if he had been feeling better he would have put in a call right now to the mining corporation to demand answers. However right now he just didn't feel up to dealing with the lies he no doubt would encounter. Alan had continued to study the information and gave them his worrying conclusion.

"I think we may have another slight problem as well. It looks like the density of that rock is now going to give even the Mole difficulty. You're not going to be able to get through that rock fall."

For a moment Scott thought John was going to have to turn back. He felt relief that his brother would soon be safe, then guilt at his relief.

"But the surrounding rock is still unaffected by that strange change in density?" John asked.

"For now."

"Then it looks like I'm going off track. Plot me a route direct to the miners, avoiding any known obstructions. The Mole can start doing what she's best at." But of course John wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Working on it." Alan bent he head to the display in front of him.

"This is getting much more dangerous John, you're risking too much." Scott's thoughts were still with his brother and his safety.

"Only what I have to."

John was putting his suit back on, trying to be careful of his bruised back, his cough reducing as the dust cleared from his lungs, and he moved back to sit in the control seat.

"Damn it, you're stubborn." Scott gave in. It wasn't like he was going to be able to do anything to stop him anyway. He saw Alan look up, his work obviously done as he gave Scott a nod. There were lot's of reason to be proud of his brothers today. "Alan's got your route, you should be at the miners location in an hour."

"Good job guys. Starting to dig now. And look, I'm sorry that I scared you back there. But you all sound rough as shit and I could do without you all losing it when I need you. So please, get some rest."

"We're fine John" Scott protested.

"No you're not. How many times have you had to tell me to go take a nap when I've been manning the comms for you for too long? I know the timescale isn't the same, but it might as well be being as you are all ill. Right now I'm you and you're me, and this is you telling me to get. Some. Rest."

Scott couldn't help but smile at John's logic. He was right as ever, he needed them on top form – or as top as they were going to get – for the next stage of this mission. He took in his brother's pale complexions and worried looks. It was time to leave John to take care of himself while he took care of the others. He didn't think they were going to be able to keep to their rest schedule now, not with that close call. They only had an hour and Scott was going to make sure they used every second of it.