Hamish Mickelson smiled across at the pilot. "Thank you for doing this, Tin-Tin."

She returned his smile. "It is my pleasure. Although I am sure that you could have piloted yourself."

"I'm sure I could too, but Edna won't let me." Hamish glanced at the lady on his other side.

"It's not me that won't let you," his wife reminded him, "but your shoulder. You know the doctor told you to rest it."

"The doctor didn't have an earthquake knock his world around. We've got things we need to do…" Hamish waved his good hand at the scene below them. "Down there."

"Do you still want me to land at ACE?" Tin-Tin checked.

"Yes, please. Everyone's vehicles are there…" This time Hamish indicated the people in the cabin behind them, "and so are the keys to our homes."

"Tin-Tin…" She heard Bruce's voice in her headphones. "Would it be possible for you to do a flypast type thing? I didn't have time to see what state ACE was in before International Rescue flew us out."

"I had plenty of time," Lisa told him. "It's a ruin."

He glanced across at her. "That bad?"

She nodded. "Keegan's truck totalled it."

Olivia leant forward so she could see the other woman. "Have you heard how he is?"

Lisa shook her head and looked over to Greg Harrison.

"No," he confirmed. "I'm hoping that no news is good news."

Mavis slipped her arm through his. "At least you gave him a chance. Without you and Lisa doing what you did, I doubt that even International Rescue could have done that."

"And if International Rescue had been concentrating on rescuing him, anything could have happened to Olivia and me!" Winston exclaimed.

Rex sat back. "I don't want to think about that."

Lisa grasped Butch's hand. "Me neither."

Rex turned to his Auntie Alicia. "Are you all right?"

She rolled her eyes. "This isn't the first time I've been in a helijet, you know."

"I know. But… Returning home."

"Then I won't know if I'm all right until I see home."

Tin-Tin's voice intruded into their conversation. "I have requested air traffic control's permission to do a circuit of the grounds and they have no issues with that, so long as we don't create any aviation or dust hazards."

"Dust?" Max Watts queried. "What dust?"

"If the jet units kick up liquefaction," Tin-Tin explained.

There was silence in the cabin as those inside watched the ground beneath them pass by. Much appeared unscathed, but every now and then a patch had the jagged appearance of crazy paving.

"Look!" George pointed out the window. "Isn't that a car sticking out of that crack? It's buried halfway up the roof!"

Remembering the motorcyclist who hadn't been so lucky, Greg closed his eyes. "I hope the driver escaped okay."

"Don't think about it." Mavis held his hand. "You couldn't have done anything."

"You know," George Watts stared out a window at the trashed terrain, "I can't recognise any of this."

"There's ACE." Tin-Tin pointed through the windscreen. "Dead ahead."

Edna stared at what had been almost been her husband's dominion. "That's ACE?" As they drew closer she began to recognise the industrial blue paint and the other architectural features. "What a mess."

Hamish looked grim. "A mess we're going to have to put back together somehow."

"Has Jeff said anything about that? Is he going to rebuild on a new site or try to rehabilitate this one?"

"I don't think he's given it much thought. He's had something else on his mind."

"Mr M?" Winston leant forward to ensure that his boss could hear him. "Some of the staff were saying that they thought that Mr Tracy would close ACE. What do you think?"

"ACE is a profitable part of his portfolio," Hamish stated, "and he's loyal to his employees, so I can't see him giving up on us or the company. However, whether he chooses to rebuild here or in some other location, or even city, will depend on what advice he receives from the experts. And that could take months."

"I'd follow ACE anywhere!" Winston proclaimed. "I'm sure we're all as loyal to ACE…"

"And you, Mr Mickelson," Max interjected.

"…as Mr Tracy is to us," Winston finished.

"I wonder…" Auntie Alicia began, and then stopped.

Rex gave her a gentle nudge. "You wonder what?"

"It's not my place to say this, since I'm not a part of ACE and I barely know Mr Tracy, but…" She hesitated again.

"Yes?"

"Is there a possibility that, ah, other events that have happened will, erm, diminish his willingness to reopen ACE?"

The passengers on the helijet were saved from trying to formulate an opinion when Tin-Tin announced that they were coming in to land.

-F-A-B-

Lady Penelope was rapidly coming to the conclusion that she would rather share her Rolls Royce with a recently de-patched ex-gang member than an un-chaperoned three-year-old.

"Now, Ginny, do sit down," she entreated, and gave a delicate grimace as a smear of chocolate appeared down the cream leather interior. "Uncle Parker will be back sometime soon."

"Pretty car," Ginny told her. "It's pink."

"Yes, it is pink. I like pink. Do you like pink?"

Ginny gave an emphatic head nod. "And red, and yellow, and orange. I can sing a rainbow," she added proudly.

"Can you? And, pray tell, how does one sing a rainbow?"

Ginny giggled. "You talk funny."

Lady Penelope decided against explaining the intricacies of the English language. "Can you sing me a rainbow?"

Ginny, happy to have an audience, began to sing – off key and out of tune. "Red, and yellow, and pink, and green, and purple, and orange, and blue, and yellow, and brown, and black, and white, and I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, you can sing one too!"

Lady Penelope blinked.

"Listen with Eunice, listen with Eunice, and sink everything you see. You can sink a rainbow, sink a rainbow, sing a long with me." Ginny giggled.

"Oh, er, very good, Ginny." Lady Penelope gave a quiet pattering of polite applause at the rather shaky rendition. She looked out the window, desperate for reinforcements.

She should have known that Wrench Crump and Parker together would spell trouble.

It had all begun innocently enough the previous day. The two men had enjoyed a quiet conversation. Of course, Parker had to disclose to the former gang member that his own past wasn't exactly squeaky clean.

Wrench had been astonished to discover that someone who had done time was working for, he assumed wrongly, a member of the British royalty. "She trust ya?"

"She trusts me," Parker had assured his newfound friend. "But I 'ad to h-earn h-it."

Wrench had looked over to where his daughter-in-law was playing with his granddaughter. "'Ow?"

"Loy-halty."

"Loyl'ty?"

"Yep. Be loy-hal to 'er h-and do nothin' h-against 'er, h-or those she cares h-about; like the Tracys."

Wrench wasn't sure if Parker was referring to Lady Penelope, or if he were giving him some gentle advice. "'Ow long did tha' take?"

"Donkey's… Pardon. Years. But now we're like that." Parker crossed his fingers. "Course there's nothin' unseemly goin' h-on. That wouldn't be right, h-and I respect 'er Ladyship too much, but she's h-as loy-hal to me h-as I h-am to 'er."

"'Ow do ya know tha'?"

"Little things. I'm not perfect, but she don't h-expect me to be. I give 'er good service h-and she respects that."

Wrench Crump looked down. "No one would 'ire me."

"Dunno h-about that. What can you do?"

Wrench looked up again. "Fix stuff."

"Like what?"

"Engines. Motorcyc'ls."

"I 'ad a motorbike once," Parker confided. "H-A Triumph. Bee-u-tiful she was. H-And she went like the clappers. The cops 'ad no chance tailin' me when I 'ad 'er between me legs."

Wrench perked up in interest. "What model?"

"Thunderbird Freedom 2000."

"I 'eard about them. S'pposed to be the fastest blown cycl' out of th' UK."

Parker grinned. "H-It is that, and some. H-I used flog it as I carved h-up the motorways."

"Get many fast riding awards?"

"Nah. H-I was so fast h-even the speed cameras couldn't catch me. The h-only thing that did was rainbows on the street. I 'it the oil and h-ate the h-asphalt. H-even me h-armour didn't prevent me road rash. I was lyin' there, tryin' to work h-out h-if I'd broken h-anythin' when I found meself lookin' h-at these great pair h-of clod-'oppers. I did four years h-at 'is Majesty's pleasure h-after that."

Wrench was astonished at the harshness of English law. "Four years f'r speedin?"

"Nah. Four years for what I was speedin' from. Plus, the collection of tomfoolery in me panier…"

"Tomfool'ry?"

"Pardon. Jewell-hery. H-A nice little job h-it was too. I could'a retired h-on what I scored."

"An' in spite o' tha', Lady Penelope trusts ya?"

"Yep."

"'Ow'd ya meet?"

"She set h-a trap for me and caught me breakin' h-and h-enterin'."

Wrench stared at his newfound friend. "An' she hired ya after tha'?"

"Yep. She wanted someone 'oo could think like h-a crook to look h-after 'er."

"Didn't think she needed no one t' look afta her. I saw her in action th' otha day."

"I'm backup," Parker said modestly. "Plus, I keep h-an h-eye h-on 'er motor."

"The Rolls?"

"Yup." Parker puffed up in pride. "She's practic-hally mine, that car."

Wrench looked impressed.

"Want to check h-under 'er, ah, 'ood?"

It took Wrench a moment to realise that Parker meant FAB1. He nodded and Parker, pleased for a chance to show off, led him outside to the big car.

The bonnet was raised. "What'd'ya think h-of that?"

Once again Wrench was suitably impressed. He reached towards the engine block and then pulled his hand back. He looked at Parker as if he were asking for permission.

Parker nodded.

The next time Lady Penelope looked outside she was treated to the sight of two bottoms sticking out of the engine bay. She smiled over at Butch. "It appears that your father has found a new friend."

"Yeah?" Carrying Ginny with him as easily as if she were a feather pillow as he lumbered to his feet, Butch looked out the window. "Oh… Parker. Are they checkin' out ya car?"

"It appears so."

Butch was suddenly eager. "Could I look too?"

Lady Penelope was about to give her assent when Lisa reached up to her husband. "Not now, Butch," she cajoled. "Let your father think he's something special."

"But he is special." Surprised, Butch looked down at her. "He's m' dad." He tickled his daughter who burst into a fit of giggles. "An' your gran'pop. Right, Ginny?"

As she could never help but do when she heard her daughter's laughter, Lisa smiled. "I know that. But he feels like he's an outsider. He hasn't worked at ACE, he's not a Tracy or one of their friends, and he hasn't had any contact with us for years. Parker's helping to make him feel accepted. If you go out there we all know that you won't mean to, but he'll feel that he's being pushed to the background again."

Butch's face creased up as he thought about what had been said.

"You are quite welcome to examine my Rolls Royce later," Lady Penelope reassured him. "And you have my permission to ask Mr Crump to show you."

Butch's face uncreased as it lit up. "Thanks!" He sat back down on the floor with a thump.

And Lady Penelope felt that all was well.

It was a short time later that Parker approached her. "M'Lady?"

"Yes, Parker?"

"May I 'ave h-a word, m'Lady?"

"Of course." The pair of them withdrew from those sitting in the lounge.

"Can I h-ask you h-a favour, m'Lady?"

Rather than responding with the hackneyed, depends what it is, Lady Penelope gave a gracious nod.

"Can I borrow FAB1 h-and take Wrench, erm, Mr Crump for a ride?"

Alarm bells started ringing. "Where to?"

Parker lowered his voice. "'E's h-a little h-embarrassed because 'e's h-only got one set h-of clobber to wear h-and nothin' to buy h-any more. So, we're gonna get some."

"And how is he going to pay for these garments?"

"I said I'd shout him."

"Parker? Couldn't he ask his family for assistance?"

"'E's too h-ashamed to. 'E's only just got back with them h-and 'e don't want them to think that 'e's sponging h-off them. You pay me h-a good wage h-and I don't use much of h-it, h-and I'd like to give the poor devil h-a chance. 'E's lost one fam-hily, h-as h-it were, when the Skulz dumped 'im, a-and 'e's scared 'e'll lose 'is real fam-hily too."

"I don't think that is likely to happen. Even Lisa seems inclined to look more favourably on him since he saved Butch's life."

"Please, m-Lady, I'd like to do this. I feel like h-a fairy godfather wavin' me magic wand."

Lady Penelope couldn't imagine anyone less like that mythical creature… nor Cinderella.

"We won't be goin' to 'Arrods or h-any place like that. Just getting h-a couple h-of 'utfits from the local department store."

Put like that, Lady Penelope couldn't really resist his plea. "Of course, Parker. Take as long as you need."

She was almost blinded as a huge smile wrapped around his equally large nose. "Thank you, m'Lady. I promise we won't do nothin' to make you regret h-it."

"I should hope not. I would not look favourably on receiving a phone call from the local constabulary telling me that you were both being held at their establishment, simply because you decided to show off to one another and relive your misspent youth. Especially if this phone call coincided with a request that I bail you out."

"Don't worry, m'Lady, that won't happen."

Lady Penelope smiled. "I know that I can trust you to behave responsibly, Parker. Enjoy your afternoon."

"Thank you, m'Lady…" But Parker didn't move away. "Erm…"

"Is there something more?"

"This h-is h-a liberty h-and you won't like h-it."

"Perhaps you will permit me to make up my own mind on that?"

"Would you mind h-if Wrench were to drive the car? I want to show that we, ah, I trust 'im."

"When it comes to the Rolls Royce, you are the final arbiter, Parker. If you are willing to trust Wrench Crump behind the wheel, then so am I."

The blinding smile reappeared tenfold. "Ta, m'… I mean…" Parker composed his voice and features into something more respectful. "Thank you, m'Lady."

Lady Penelope looked at her watch. "It is 2.00pm. Perhaps you should, ah, get moving?"

"Yes, m'Lady." Parker bobbed his head in acquiescence. "Thank you, m'Lady."

And he practically ran to the door.

The two men had returned several hours later in high spirits, Parker quietly pleased with himself and Wrench Crump in clean jeans, a white open-necked shirt, his hair cut short, and his Skulz tattoo on his face bleached out. "When they said they could use concealer t' hide it, I nearly decked th' guy," he told anyone who would listen. "Tha' was till Nosey here told me they didn' mean makeup."

"H-It's something that reacts with the pigment h-in the tat," Parker expanded. "H-It's only temporary and doesn't change colour when the skin does. I told Wrench 'e's not to get too h-excited, h-else 'e'll be too patriotic. H-All red, white h-and blue."

Both men collapsed into fits of laughter, Wrench's face turning slightly pink in the excitement and causing the faint outline of a skull to appear.

Ginny, staring at her grandfather's face in fascination, reached out to touch the mark.

Wrench picked her up. "D'ya know wha' was the best?" he asked her. "Mr Parker let me drive the Rolls Royce on the freeway. Bu' I didn' speed," he reassured Lady Penelope. "I wouldn' do tha' t' Nosey. P'raps I'll be able to drive you some day?"

"'E's h-a natural," Parker enthused. "We was thinkin' that maybe tomorrow, when h-everyone goes 'ome with Miss Tin-Tin to check h-on their 'ouses, we could take Miss Ginny to the zoo."

"I took Butch when he were a kid," Wrench remembered. "I' was fun, wasn' i' Butch?"

Butch beamed. "Lotsa fun."

Lisa had thought it was a wonderful idea, especially when Lady Penelope had offered to go too, to handle the more 'womanly aspects' of a young girl's day.

That was yesterday and now Lady Penelope was regretting her offer. "Sit down, please, Ginny," she repeated. "Uncle Parker is getting you a special seat so that you can see out the windows, but we must sit like a lady until he and your grandfather arrive back…"

"How's a lady sit?"

"Knees together, hands resting in our laps…" Lady Penelope spied reinforcements. "There they are!"

"Where!" Forgetting her lessons in etiquette, Ginny clambered over Lady Penelope's lap, digging her small hard knee into a trim adult lap, and stood on the seat to look out the window.

Wrench, carrying a small chair in his big hands and looking almost unrecognisable in his clean clothes and without his tattoo visible, chatted with Parker as the pair walked towards the car.

The latter opened one of the Rolls Royce's gullwing doors. "We're back."

Lady Penelope was aware, and glad, of this.

"How's m' little pumpk'n?" Wrench enthused. "Been havin' fun wi' Lady Penelope?"

Lady Penelope was of the opinion that the way the two men had been laughing together, they'd had more fun than she. "I see you found a booster seat for Virginia."

"Yep," Parker took it from Wrench. After a quick read of the instructions, he locked it into place. "Just the right 'eight for a little tyke," he quoted. "In yer pop, Miss Ginny."

Ever obedient to the adults in her world, once again Ginny crawled over Lady Penelope, who only just managed to avoid a few well-chosen words of complaint, and sat in her newly installed seat.

Lady Penelope evacuated the car. "Perhaps you would prefer to sit next to Virginia, Mr Crump?" she suggested. "And I shall sit next to you."

"Good h-idea." Parker enthused. "H-In yer pop, Pop," he joked, and a laughing Crump Senior claimed the seat on the other side of his granddaughter.

Glad to have a barrier between her and the little girl, Lady Penelope sat back in the car.

She waited until her chauffeur had reclaimed his traditional seat in the front. "Drive on, Parker," she instructed.

"Drive on, Parker," Ginny parroted, and both men burst out laughing.

"She's h-a right caution, h-ain't she?" Parker laughed.

"Indeed," Lady Penelope agreed through gritted teeth.

-F-A-B-

The helijet touched down and the group got out, stopping to survey the scene and get their bearings.

"I can't believe this is ACE," Mavis mused. "It's a mess!"

"That's where Thunderbird One landed," Greg pointed to the far end of what had once been a green and leafy Patillo Park. "And that's where we set up the first aid station. We had to knock down the fence to build a bridge, so the forklift could get across… Where's the forklift?"

"At a guess, the Tracys put it away after they'd used it for loading their helijet," Hamish mused.

"Either that or it's been stolen," Winston offered in a cheerful voice.

Edna regarded the blackened factory. "How many explosions were there?"

"One that I'm aware of," her husband told her.

She stared at him. "Only one?!"

"It was big enough to launch that sheet of metal from there," Hamish indicated the direction of where the paint bay had been, "to there. It must have missed S… us by that much." He held up his good hand, his fingers an inch apart.

"Aren't we gonna get our things?" Butch asked. "I wanna check out our home."

Lisa held his arm as if she were holding him back. "We have to wait for the all clear from the authorities before we can enter the building."

"I know tha'. Wher's he?"

As if in answer to Butch's question, a car coated in a thick layer of liquefaction pulled into a nearby parking area. A man wearing a high visibility vest got out of the car, retrieved his bag from the boot, and walked over to them. "Are you the people from ACE?"

Considering that the earthquake authorities had been told that a helijet was going to be their mode of transport and that they were all standing next to one looking at what remained of the factory, no one felt inclined to confirm his question.

Hamish did anyway. "Yes, that's right."

"Okay, we've shored up the structure and it should be safe for you to enter the locker rooms, retrieve whatever it is in there that you require, and leave. Please do not attempt to enter any other part of the building as we can't guarantee your safety. As it is, we can only offer you ten minutes to get in, get your things, and get out."

That the factory that had always been a place of safe solidity was now a potential death trap, was a sobering thought.

"When you do leave, we ask that you drive slowly. The repairs to the road are only temporary. Any questions?"

"Yes." Lisa raised her hand to get the man's attention. "You wouldn't happen to know how the truck driver who was injured when his truck smashed into the building is, would you?"

"Sorry. I'm a civil engineer and the only personnel I've had anything to do with relating to this site are you. Are you ready to enter?"

Max squeezed Ashley's hand. "I'll be back in a minute."

She seemed reluctant to let go. "Be careful."

As the staff members moved forward, Bruce became aware that one of their group wasn't joining them. "You're not coming, Mr M?"

"All my belongings are in the office," Mickelson told him. "As curious as I am, I'd only be in the way if I were to come with you."

"I'm sorry, Sir," the man in the hi-viz vest apologised. "If I could let you in there I would."

"It's all right," Hamish assured him. "I've already returned there once," he rubbed his sore shoulder, "and I don't need to return again."

"You're not going in, Winston?" Edna enquired.

"My jacket's in the CAD room."

"My keys are in my office," Olivia said. "Are you sure I can't go in there and get them?" she asked the official. "I'll be quick."

"Sorry, ma'am. It's too dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Olivia," Hamish apologised. "I should have thought and got your things when I went back."

"You had more than enough to worry about," she reassured him. "I'll break into my house somehow."

Not being part of ACE's team, Tin-Tin had been standing quietly to one side. She'd seen the furnace and the concrete beam as they'd flown in, and their sheer size and obvious weight had appalled her. She imagined Thunderbird Two shifting them to their final resting place. "Where is the furnace room?"

"Over here." After a glance at the factory to reassure himself that no disaster had befallen his team, Hamish led the way to a pile of rubble.

Ten people stood and regarded what had once been a state of the art building.

"What a calamity." Winston gnawed his lip. "How did he survive?"

"Judging by the damage and the fact the roof's over there," Hamish pointed with his good hand, just in time to see some of his team approaching them. "International Rescue must have made the walls collapse outwards, so they could get to him without it all falling in on them."

"But to have that!" Winston indicated the circular object that lay innocuously near the boundary, "on top of him! How did he survive!? I've said it before and I'll say it again: International Rescue are miracle workers… Have you got your things, Bruce?"

Bruce held up his bag. "Yep. Butch can't open his locker door. He's trying to wrench it open with his bare hands, so I thought it would be safer out of there… Why are you over here?"

"Tin-Tin wanted to see where, erm… here."

"Ah… He never liked that furnace." Bruce took his new phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his images on the cloud. He came to a simple, but effective, drawing. "I scanned this when they built the new building, so we would always have a copy, even when the original became old and tatty," he said as he handed it to Tin-Tin. "He said it reminded him of Medusa."

Tin-Tin looked at the image of the bust of a woman with a spherical head and smoky hair, like snakes writhing above her head. "Virgil drew this?"

"Yes. On the day when Lisa was modelling for the Tuffas advertising campaign. The camera crew were mucking about so much we were bored. We challenged him to draw a picture good enough for a catalogue in the time it took them to set up the cameras. He almost succeeded."

"Still got that pitcha," Butch announced. "It's on th' wall at home."

Lisa pulled at his arm. "We've yet to see if we still have a home. We'd better get moving. We don't want to keep Tin-Tin waiting longer than necessary."

"Do not worry," Tin-Tin reassured her. "I have other things I am planning to do."

"Such as?" Edna asked, as the group began their slow walk over the rubble and cracks in the ground towards the carpark.

Tin-Tin smiled at her friend. "I have contacted the authorities. There are some people who need to get away from the city. I have offered to fly them to their destinations." She pulled her own phone from out of her pocket. "Do you all have my number, so you can call when you are ready to return to Bearston?"

They assured her that they did.

Olivia's was the first car that they came to, and, as she used her thumb print to gain access, Bruce stopped next to her. "Do you want me to come with you?"

She smiled at him. "You have to get to your own place."

"Yeah, I know. But I thought you might like some company."

A minor earthquake rumbled through the city, causing those at ACE to stumble and cling to their vehicles for support.

Olivia's smile slipped. "I think I'd like that, Bruce."

"Good. My car or yours? Do you want me to drive?"

Tin-Tin had left ACE at their cars and returned to the helijet. She was inside it when she felt the quake and had felt a momentary fear. If this was a small one she was so glad to have not lived through the major one that had decimated the city.

But despite that she didn't ignite the jets, preferring to wait until all the cars had safely negotiated their way off the premises. Only then did she consult her notes and navigation system, and lift off the ground.

-F-A-B-

Lady Penelope had always enjoyed trips to the zoo; especially at the feeding time of the predatory animals. Then she would study their moves and actions closely as they, thanks to the enrichment programmes created by the zoo staff, hunted down their prey.

She was disappointed to learn that the only animals being fed publicly during the short time they were to be present, were the macaws and porcupines. While she had no doubt that this was entertaining and informative in its own right, she could not believe that this would assist her in her aim to protect International Rescue.

Still she resolved to remain cheerful and enthusiastic about everything.

It was a hard promise to keep as she watched a pride of lions snooze in the sun showing no more signs of animation than an occasional flick of their tail.

Ginny, however, was having a ball as she rode high on her grandfather's shoulders, exclaiming at each new bird and beast, and giggling as he imitated their screeches and sounds.

Parker, and Lady Penelope tried not to feel churlish about this, was letting his hair down too and enjoying the opportunity to not be stiffly formal. His quips and accent had Ginny in nearly as many fits as her grandfather's impersonations.

If the truth be told, Lady Penelope was feeling like an outsider. One who was hoping that Virginia would not require her services to "go to potty." She shuddered at the thought.

Feeling something tug at a finally tailored leg, she looked down. Ginny had descended from Wrench Crump's shoulders and had her arms stretched upwards. "Pick me up."

"Pick me up, please," Lady Penelope corrected.

"Pick me up, pwease," Ginny echoed.

Wondering how one precisely did such a thing, Lady Penelope attempted to obey, and seemed to wind up with a tangle of legs and arms hanging off her hands.

"Let 'er sit on your 'ip, m'Lady," Parker suggested, and with a little manoeuvring and a lot of giggles from Ginny, she succeeded.

"Are you comfortable, Virginia?" she asked.

Ginny gave a firm nod that almost caused Lady Penelope to drop her.

-F-A-B-

Hamish and Edna Mickelson stood in front of their family's house.

The door had a green notice taped to it saying the building appeared to be safe.

"It looks all right," Hamish mused.

"It stood up all right," Edna reassured him. "We've lost some ornaments and a few books fell off the shelves, though. At least you'd bolted all the shelving to the wall."

"I did that so children wouldn't pull the furniture onto themselves. Not to stop you from being squashed in an earthquake."

"I don't care why you did it, I'm just glad you did." Edna squeezed his hand. "Are we going in?"

The pair of them approached the door with the optimistic green notice.

-F-A-B-

Butch and Lisa stood in front of their home.

The door had an orange notice taped to it saying the building could be entered with caution, but that living in it wasn't recommended.

"Looksall right," Butch said optimistically.

Lisa was more cautious. "It looks all right, but is it?"

"Best we go and see."

Lisa nodded, suddenly nervous. "All right."

With some trepidation, the pair approached the door with the cautionary orange notice.

-F-A-B-

Bruce and Olivia stood in front of Bruce's apartment building.

The door to the lobby had a red notice taped to it saying the building was condemned and not to be entered. On that same door was a series of spray-painted symbols and codes. Squares, initials, and dates told those who needed to know that the building had been checked and that no one had remained inside in need of rescuing.

"It looks like a bomb site," Bruce grumbled.

Olivia rubbed her boyfriend's arm. "I know the media are reporting that the casualty toll was so high because the earthquake happened during working hours, but I'm glad you weren't at home."

Bruce had mixed feelings about that as he surveyed the damage. "I might have been able to get some of my stuff before I evacuated if I had been."

"Or you might have been hurt or killed," she reminded him. "These are only things. You're more important to me."

"But they're my things," he protested, before looking back at the derelict building. "Wait here." He stepped forward.

"Bruce!" Olivia caught his arm, holding him back. "Where are you going!?"

"Inside. I'll only be a minute."

"Bruce!" Olivia repeated, holding his arm tighter. "It's dangerous. You can't."

"It can't be that dangerous," Bruce bluffed, deliberately not looking at the lopsided structure in case he lost his nerve. "It would have fallen down in an aftershock if it was."

"It may in the next one."

Bruce pulled his arm free. "I'm sorry, Sunbeam, but I've got to do this."

Frightened for him, Olivia felt as if she were on the brink of tears. "Why?"

"I've been thinking about all the things I'd save if I'd got the chance. What if this is my only chance?"

As Olivia frantically tried to think of an opposing argument, Bruce took advantage of her preoccupation; running up to the barrier blocking the entrance.

"STOP!"

Realising that his chance had gone, Bruce obeyed. He turned to face the man who'd shouted.

The latter was clad in army fatigues and festooned with a radio along with what looked like other pieces of official kit. "What are you doing?"

Feeling undersized alongside this muscular individual and wishing Olivia wasn't there to witness his humiliation, Bruce sagged. "Trying to get into my home."

"You lived here?"

"Yeah." Bruce pulled an ID out of his wallet.

"I'm sorry, Buddy, but I can't let you go in."

"But surely you could look away? Just for a minute?" Bruce pleaded.

"Nope. That red flag's up there for a reason and it's to keep everyone safe."

"But what'll happen to my stuff?"

"That depends. Have you registered with the earthquake authorities?"

"They know I'm at Bearston."

"But do they know that this is where you live and that you want to clear your gear out?"

"Erm…" Bruce tried to remember. He seemed to have filled in so many forms these past nineteen days that he couldn't remember what he'd affixed his signature to.

"You'd better check that out ASAP," the soldier told him. "Once you're on the books they'll know to let you know when they decide to knock this place down." He saw Bruce's alarmed expression. "…Or if they're gonna give you the chance to get in there to get your stuff."

"Come on, Bruce." Olivia plucked at his sleeve. "Let's go and do that now."

Bruce's shoulders drooped. "Yeah… Okay." He directed a weak smile at the soldier. "Thanks."

Unhappy, he allowed Olivia to lead him away from his door with its angry red notice.

-F-A-B-

Tin-Tin was happy. She'd airlifted a couple of families with young children away from the earthquake zone and delivered them into the waiting arms of extended family members. Seeing the delight of all concerned, coupled with the obvious relief of the rescuees at the knowledge that they were well away from broken homes and continuing earthquakes, filled her with a warm feeling. It was only a small victory, not like saving a life as the Tracys did frequently, but it still meant a lot to those involved.

And it was a lot less dangerous than going into a collapsing building.

She checked her watch. Time to return to ACE.

Her passengers had been grateful to have received this respite. So much so that Tin-Tin was the appreciative recipient of a small white teddy bear wearing the leather jacket and flight goggles of a pilot. She resolved to put it on her dressing table as a reminder that not all rescues were on a large scale.

-F-A-B-

There was the sound of crunching gravel.

Gordon looked out the window. "Ginny's back."

Happy to hear the news, Lisa grabbed a stuffed toy and hurried to the door. "How's my baby?" she called and swept her daughter up into her arms. "Look who's come to visit."

"Mr Bunny!" Ginny squealed.

"Yes, Mr Bunny knew that you were missing him and so he was hopping all the way from home to here," Lisa enthused. "Auntie Tin-Tin realised that because it was such a long way it was going to take a long time for him to get here, so she flew and got him. Are you going to say thank you to Auntie Tin-Tin?"

"Dank you, Aundy Din-Din," Ginny mumbled through a mass of faux-fur and stuffing.

Tin-Tin laughed. "It was my pleasure, Ginny."

"And what about you?" Lisa pulled the bunny away from Ginny's face so she could hear the answer. "Did you have a fun day with Grandpop, Uncle Parker, and Lady Penelope?"

Ginny nodded. "We saw lions and tigers and tor-toys and birds and chimps and arrows and tanteaters."

"Arrows?" Lisa directed the question at her father-in-law.

"Parrots," Wrench clarified.

"Gwandpop! Be a 'arro'," Ginny begged.

Laughing, Wrench made a screeching sound.

Ginny held out her newly reacquired toy to him. "This is Mr Bunny."

"Mr Bunny?" Wrench took the stuffed animal. "Is that its name?"

"Yep." Ginny nodded. "Cos he's a he and he's a bunny."

"Righ'." Wrench handed the prized possession back to its owner. "Where'z Butch?"

"In our room," Lisa admitted. She lowered her voice so Ginny, engaged in a conversation with Mr Bunny, couldn't hear her. "The Red Arrow was damaged in the quake and he's trying to come to terms with it."

"Oh… M'bee I can help 'im fix it?"

"I'm sure he'd love that. Why don't you go and ask him what needs to be done?"

Jeff sidled over to Lady Penelope. "How did the afternoon go, Penny?"

"Jeff… If I ever offer to babysit a three-year-old again, remind me of this day, would you?"

Jeff chuckled. "A handful, was she?"

"Not she. Them!"

"Them?"

"Parker and Wrench Crump."

Jeff frowned. "Did they get into trouble?"

"Not at all. However, they had Virginia so excited that the child was almost impossible to control. And!" Lady Penelope folded her arms in the nearest that Jeff had ever seen to a huff. "The lions were all asleep!"

Jeff decided that another chuckle at this juncture was akin to suicide.

"I suppose that I must admit that I am not the mothering type," Lady Penelope declared. "Now, Jeff, enough about our day. How is Virgil?"

Jeff beamed. "Great! He woke up and was compos mentis for long enough that Scott and I were able to hold a real conversation with him."

The huff had vanished as quickly as it had arrived. "That is wonderful news."

"We would have continued talking except that Timoti Bailey and Bryce Dower banished us all from his room, so they could examine him." Jeff checked his phone. "They were going to call us when they'd finished… That was hours ago. I hope everything's okay."

"I am sure that they are just being thorough. This is an experimental treatment and they haven't had the opportunity to see the results, ah, in the flesh, as it were."

"I'm sure you're right… One other bit of good news…" Jeff indicated the top of the stairs and Lady Penelope turned in time to see Scott Tracy start his descent. The way that his hair was sticking out at all angles and the rumpled nature of his clothes seemed to indicate that he'd been lying down. "Virgil managed to convince Scott to get some sleep."

"A miracle in itself."

"Agreed."

"Any news?" Scott asked, reaching the ground floor.

"Nothing yet," Jeff started to say and then stopped when he felt something vibrate at his hip. He whipped his phone out of his pocket. "Examination over," he read. "All well. Virgil's sleeping. Come over when you're ready. B." He pocketed the phone. "I'm ready now. Everyone else coming?"

There was a mass exodus as the Tracys headed back to the hospital.

To be continued…