The journey from far eastern Europe to the UK was completed in a heartbeat, giving the passengers in the powerful rocket barely time to gather their thoughts.

Jeff rubbed at his itching eyes and blinked at the still slightly misty world beyond the plexi-glass shielding.

"Feeling any better?" Brains asked in concern.

"A little." Jeff smiled thinly and replaced the damp cloth over his eyes. Brains had located a small eye wash kit in one of the laboratories and five rinses with the cool saline had finally begun to soothe the burning.

"Lady Penelope?" Brains urged.

"Fine." Penny smiled bravely, "But what I wouldn't give for some cucumber face pack right now."

"Okay …" Brains cleared his throat and turned his attention back to piloting the craft. "We're on final approach to Cri-Cri-Cri-your house. Parker is standing by."

"Poor lad," Penny sighed, "He so wanted to come with us. And maybe if he had …"

"Don't even go there." Jeff offered softly, "I've got enough ifs, buts and maybes to last me a hell of a long time."

"Mmm … I just want a long bath and a change of clothes …" Penny sighed and then turned to Jeff, "And then check in on John."

Jeff nodded in agreement. As much as he wanted to rush straight to his son, they needed to be careful. Now more than ever. Hiding Thunderbird One and making the trip into the city in slightly more 'conventional' transport seemed sensible. They couldn't risk attracting much more attention to themselves.

Scott watched in concern as the previously peaceful features of his brother were now twisted in alternating waves of fearful recollection and pain. He reached out and took hold of John's hand, feeling him respond with a gentle grip.

"Hey …" Scott ventured warily.

John opened his eyes and turned to look at Scott, as he had done four other times in as many minutes. But this time his heavy, drug-laced eyes seemed to focus for a moment. Tears gathered there and he groaned softly. John turned his face away and flicked his fingers free of Scott's grasp.

"John?" Scott sighed loudly, "C'mon, man … don't do this … not now."

John made no reply, his shoulders trembling with the approach of further tears.

"Don't shut me out." Scott continued carefully, "Not this time." He stood from his chair and leaned over the bed, reaching out to place his hand on John's shoulder. "John?"

"I …" John's voice was hoarse and he coughed dryly, clutching at his chest as he did so. "I can't …"

"Can't what?" Scott frowned, "Can't cope with it? Can't talk to me?"

John nodded slowly.

"Dude …" Scott closed his eyes and sat back down. "I understand … I was there …"

"No." John whispered, "You weren't."

Scott felt his own tears gathering as he watched his brother drift back into a medicated slumber and his words hung in the air around them. It was all too much. And, try as he might to be strong, he was simply too tired and he needed some air. He stood once again and hurried from the room.

"How is he?" Alex asked quickly, following Scott a short way down the ward.

Scott shrugged wearily, "He's being given so much morphine … I don't know if he's really awake." He replied. Well, it was almost true. "Listen, I'll be outside." Scott nodded towards the exit doors and smiled thinly. "Don't suppose either of you guys would have a cigarette."

Alex shook her head. "Sorry."

Scott shrugged and headed off of the ward.

Alex turned back to the room and peered in through the small window in the door.

"There's more to this than you're telling me." Tom ventured quietly.

Alex wanted to laugh. She turned to him and smiled warmly. "Nothing gets by you, does it, mate?"

Tom frowned in confusion. "How long have you known them?" He then gasped slightly, "Are you working for them?"

"Look, Tom …" Alex began carefully, "I promise one day we'll sit down over a pint and I'll tell you all about it but for now …"

Tom smiled and made a zipping signal across his mouth, his original annoyance now replaced with childlike delight at being involved.

"Thank you." Alex nodded and turned back to open the door.

The room was warm, bathed in uncharacteristically bright sunlight that crept through the partly closed blinds and the heavy air circulating with the efforts of a large fan in the corner. Alex stepped further inside and swallowed back tears as she approached the bed. He was sat semi-upright amid the jumbled pillows and he was in a right mess.

She watched him sleeping restlessly as she neared him and took in the apparent extent of the damage. The most concerning feature was the long white dressing that ran up the centre of his body, concealing the navel to sternum scar beneath.

The opening of the door behind her made her jump suddenly and she turned to see one of the nurses entering the room. She smiled a greeting to Alex and headed over to her patient.

"How is he?" Alex queried.

The nurse checked through the data on the various monitors and frowned in thought. "He has a high temperature but that can be normal after such a large blood transfusion." She glanced at Alex before checking the various pumps and IV lines. "Are you hoping to interview him or something? He'll be too drowsy for a while yet."

"I know." Alex smiled thinly, "We've met before and I thought I'd sit with him for a bit. Just so there's a familiar face here if he wakes."

"That's kind of you." The nurse nodded and wandered from the room.

Alex ventured closer and sat down on the chair beside the bed. It seemed an age since she had last been this near to him. Too long in fact. She had tried to convince herself that she was coping fine with the distance but being this close to him only served to prove otherwise. She reached out and took hold of his hand.

John stirred and turned his face towards her, his eyes blinking open and seemingly looking straight through her.

"Hi there." Alex smiled.

John frowned slightly and cleared his throat. "Al …?"

"Yeah."

"But …" His frown deepened and he closed his eyes. "Where am I?"

"In hospital. In London." Alex replied carefully.

John groaned softly, his frown fading as he remembered. His face then crumpled and he gave a small sob. "Oh god, Al!"

Alex stood and leaned over him, carefully resting her forehead against his. He reached up and clutched at her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"Al, I … oh god …"

"Shh …" Alex husked tearfully, "I'm here."

"Al?" John pleaded.

"I know. I'm here." She stepped back from him for a moment, hearing his groan of protest as she moved out of his reach. She nodded in reassurance and unzipped her vest; breathing a sigh of relief as she slipped off the close, hot protection. She draped it over the chair and then frowned in thought. All of the monitoring and IV lines were over on his right side and she smiled as she lowered the left side rail and climbed up onto the bed.

John murmured appreciatively as Alex carefully perched on the edge of the mattress and slipped one arm behind his head, careful not to pull on the lines that ran into the vein in his neck. He leaned his head against her shoulder and groaned as further sobs jarred his body.

Alex closed her eyes and kissed his damp forehead. She let her lips linger there for a moment and frowned in concern. His skin was hot and smelled of soap and disinfectant. The sweet odour brought back painful memories and she shuddered slightly. But somewhere beneath the strong hospital cologne was a hint of the familiar scent of him and she breathed it in.

"It was horrible …"John managed after a moment, his voice barely a whisper.

"I know. Scott told me." She offered softly, wanting to reassure him that he didn't have to give any more detail unless he wanted to.

John nodded slightly, falling silent except for the odd grateful whimper as she stroked her fingers through his hair.

"Al?" John resumed after a few minutes.

"Yeah."

"Have you ever shot someone?"

"No." Alex answered quietly, her heart sinking as she suddenly had an awful feeling as to where this might be leading.

John groaned slightly and reached up to clutch at her arm and pulled her closer.

Alex waited for him to continue but when he said nothing further, she leaned back a little and realised that he had drifted back into drugged sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the gentle bleating of the various pumps and monitors and the reality of the whole awful situation. But it was impossible. And after a while, her cool tears began to slide down her face and fell quietly into John's hair.

If there was one thing that was guaranteed in any hospital, it was that hovering round the main entrances and their large SMOKING KILLS placards would be countless anxious relatives and bored patients dragging hungrily on precious cigarettes. Scott lit the prize he had gleaned with his dishevelled fearful visitor appearance and inhaled deeply. Cheap and bitter but with the desired kick, the smoke seemed as nectar and he moaned appreciatively, again nodding his thanks to his fellow rebel and wandering off towards the gardens beside the hospital.

The morning was bright and pleasant and seemed somehow out of place. Low clouds and rain would have better suited his mood right then. Or possibly made it worse.

John was impossible to understand. It had taken years for Scott to even scratch the surface of what constituted his reclusive, serious brother but now that opening seemed resolutely closed once again.

And what bugged Scott more than the fact that this problem couldn't be easily solved was that he had been there. He was the only one who had a chance in hell of understanding how John felt and yet now he was being pushed away. And something of Scott's similar stubbornness said fine. Be like that. And that was wrong.

The gentle chirping of an incoming call interrupted Scott's intense, sullen study of the grass at his feet and he opened the channel. "Virg."

"How is he?"

"Good." Scott answered quickly, "He'll be okay." Eventually, maybe, he wanted to add.

"Thank god … Listen … Scott …"

There was something in his voice. "What … ?" Scott ventured quietly.

"We … well, that's to say … me and Gord and Alan … well …"

"Oh for God's sake!" Scott snapped wearily. "What?"

"We had an idea."

Scott closed his eyes and held his breath.

"Scott?"

"What have you done?" Scott sighed.

"Well, we thought that maybe … well … we need help, right. I mean, we're up to our necks in some pretty scary shit and fast running out of allies."

"Yeah …" Scott prompted suspiciously.

"So, we found one."

"Who?" Scott looked up instinctively, "Virg, where are you?"

"L.A."

"WHAT!"

"Listen, don't get mad - "

"Virg, it's a bit fucking late for that! What the hell have you done?"

Silence.

"Virg?"

Virgil could be heard taking a deep breath (before the plunge) and then spilled out his blatantly rehearsed speech. "We figured that in light of the fact that we can't trust anyone who we once thought we could, that we should seek out one who we had thought we couldn't."

Scott groaned, "Enough of the riddle crap, Virg! What have you - ?"

"We talked to the press."

Scott couldn't respond. He wanted to. Several colourful expletives lined up ready for use but he just couldn't get them out.

"Lisa Lowe, to be more precise. We told her what's been happening and asked her for help."

Scott crumpled to the ground and sat cross-legged amid the damp grass, his head spinning.

"She wanted proof that it wasn't a joke and promised us anonymity in return for our trust – and one hell of an exclusive." Virgil continued, evidently becoming more confident at the strange lack of rebuke. "We figured it's our last hope. Go public, so to speak."

Scott closed his eyes and let his dizzy head fall into his hands. Strange thing was, he could see the logic of it. But he still couldn't believe it.

"Scott?" Virgil urged timidly, "What d'you think?"

Scott laughed and suddenly found his voice. "What do I – you've got to be fucking kid -" He paused and sat back upright. "Well … it's apparently too late for whatever I might think …"

"Oh."

Scott frowned suddenly. "Does Dad know about this?"

"No." Virgil chuckled nervously. "And … well … we kinda hoped you'd tell him."

Scott fell backwards onto the grass and clutched at his pounding head; suddenly very much wishing that he wasn't him right then.

tbc …