VIRGIL and Alan couldn't ever remember being more scared and horrified than they did right now. Both were on their hands and knees peering over the edge of the crater. It was about fifty metres down to the water that had filled it over the years. About ten metres down they could see one of the girls lying motionless on a ledge. But they couldn't tell who it was, nor could they see where the other had gone.

"HAYLEY?!" shouted Virgil. "SOPHIE?!"

The figure didn't respond. Nor was there any other call.

"GIRLS, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, HANG IN THERE!" Virgil called down. "WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF THERE!" He was about to press his panic alarm to inform Tracy Island of the situation when he suddenly saw Alan begin to attempt to climb off the edge. "Alan, what the hell are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?" Alan snapped in response. "I'm going to get my girl!"

"Are you crazy?!" said Virgil. "You have no safety-equipment! You'll never make it down there!"

"I don't care, Virgil!" retorted Alan. "I'm going down there and you can't stop me!"

Virgil became angry. "Oh, yes, I can!" he said firmly. He stormed forwards, grabbed Alan's right arm and with an effortless heave pulled him back up.

"GET OFF!" Alan shrieked. Despite having grown considerably to being just under the height that his brother now was, he was still lifted effortlessly up by Virgil and thrown face-down onto the dirt.

"Alan, I'm not going to let you put yourself in the same danger they're in!" Virgil said firmly. He then turned away and reached for the panic button on his utility sash.

But Alan saw red. He scrambled to his feet, saw Virgil was facing away and became more furious than he'd ever been in his life. He let out an almighty bellow of rage and charged at his brother. Startled, Virgil spun around just in time to see Alan's enraged expression through his helmet visor as his youngest sibling lunged at him and used the momentum to knock him off balance and he fell onto his back. Alan then pinned Virgil down and began punching his helmet with both fists over and over again.

"ALAN…STOP!" cried Virgil as his head was knocked from side to side. Even though Alan's fist could not actually hit his face due to the helmet, the feeling of having his head knocked in opposite directions in quick succession was nonetheless unpleasant.

"DON'T…GET…IN…MY…WAY!" Alan roared as each word coincided with each punch. "I…WON'T…LET…YOU…STOP…ME!"

Virgil knew he had to do something. He clenched his right fist. "God forgive me," he said before taking his own swing at Alan. The one hit against the left side of Alan's helmet was enough to knock Alan off his guard and he tumbled sideways off Virgil. Virgil then scrambled to his feet, but Alan recovered quickly too. "Alan, stop!" said Virgil, holding his hands out. "You don't want to do this!"

"Oh, I do!" snarled Alan. "This is all your fault!" He then lunged at Virgil again but this time Virgil was ready and he rugby-tackled Alan to the floor before pinning him to the ground. "Stay down!" he ordered. "How the hell is this MY fault?"

"Because you suggested that Sophie come with us!" said Alan, straining from trying to fight to break free of Virgil's grasp.

"I suggested, yes, but did I make the call on her actually coming?" Virgil asked.

Alan just strained in response. Virgil knew he couldn't delay alerting the others any longer. He pressed a button on his utility sash.

Jeff was irritated. "John, I thought you said you'd gotten through?" he said.

"Sorry, Dad, I thought I did too," replied John. "But the doctors are with Mr Walker now. We'll just have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid."

Jeff was about to reply when all of a sudden a sound that none of them ever hoped to hear rang out in the lounge. They all froze, alarmed.

"That's the panic alarm!" said Gordon. "But who is it?"

Jeff checked his desk. "Virgil?!" He opened the link. "Virgil, what's going on?"

Now they were faced with an equally unexpected sight - one of Virgil trying to keep a struggling Alan from getting up.

"What the?!" exclaimed John and Gordon together.

"Virgil, what the hell are you doing?!" demanded Jeff.

"Trying to keep Alan safe, Dad!" Virgil replied.

"By pinning him to the ground?!" Jeff said, anger rising inside him. "Just how is-"

"DAD, SOPHIE AND HAYLEY HAVE FALLEN IN THE CRATER!" Virgil shouted, cutting his Dad off and sending another shocked silence through the lounge. "We can't get to them! Alan tried climbing down without any safety-gear. I stopped him, and he attacked me for it!"

"IF SOPHIE DIES, VIRGIL, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" screamed Alan. "DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'M GONNA-"

"ALAN!"

Alan fell silent at the sound of his furious Dad's voice. He stopped struggling. "D-D-Dad…?!"

Jeff was livid, but he kept his voice down. "Get off of him, Virgil!" he ordered.

Virgil did so.

"We will discuss this later, boys," Jeff continued in a low and dangerous voice. "But to the point - did you say Sophie and Hayley are in the crater?"

"Yes," said Virgil, trying to hold back the urge to burst into tears. "We can see one of them, but we don't know who. And they aren't answering our calls. We need help to get them out."

"And you'll have it," said Jeff. "Gordon, go wake Scott up and be quick about it!"

"F-A-B!" said Gordon, hurrying out of the lounge towards the stairs that led up to the living quarters.

"Virgil, you and Alan stay put," Jeff said. "Scott and Gordon will come out and assist you."

"Thanks, Dad," said Virgil. "And I'm sorry for using force on Alan."

"Oh, you will be!" hissed Alan.

"Be QUIET, ALAN!" thundered Jeff, forcing his youngest son into silence. "This is not the time or the place for fighting! Am I clear?"

Alan grunted.

"AM I CLEAR?!" Jeff roared again.

"Yes, Dad," said Alan begrudgingly.

Gordon burst into Scott's room to find his eldest brother sound asleep in bed. He grabbed a cushion from beside the bed and began hitting him with it. "SCOTT! SCOTT, WAKE UP!"

Scott woke up with a start. "What the BING-BANG-BLAZES?!" he exclaimed furiously. "GORDON! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"SCOTT, THERE'S NO TIME FOR THIS!" Gordon shouted before lowering his voice. "Hayley and Sophie have fallen into a radioactive crater. We need to help Virgil and Alan get them out."

Scott's anger vanished instantly and he stared at Gordon. "The hell?!" he exclaimed as he scrambled out of the bed and reached for his shirt. "Where are they?"

"Victory Day Island," said Gordon.

Scott paused and looked at his shirt. "To hell with this!" he snapped and got to his feet before hurrying out of the door past Gordon. "Meet me in Thunderbird 1, Gordon!|" he ordered. "We cannot waste a second with this one!"

Gordon stood still for a moment as he watched Scott rush out the room. "At least he has a vest and draws on," he remarked to himself. "Grandma would have a fit if he didn't."

Jeff too was somewhat taken aback momentarily by Scott's lack of clothing when he entered the lounge. "Ah, er, Scott. Good. Has Gordon-"

"Yes, he has, Dad," said Scott, already pulling down the lamps of the revolving wall panel. "And we are already on our way."

"Very good," said Jeff. "Give Thunderbird 1 all she's got, son."

"I'll give her more than what she's got," said Scott with determination as the wall swivelled round and he disappeared from view.

John then spoke up. "Dad, the doctor's have said we can talk to Mr Walker now."

Jeff exhaled. "There's nothing much we can do to help Hayley and Sophie, John," he said. "Let us see what Mr Walker has to say for himself. His explanation had better be a damn good one!"

Scott had never been through his launch procedure in just his underwear but he wasn't remotely bothered by it. He was so focused on the task in hand that the cold rush of air against his arms and legs went unnoticed and he barely even felt the attaching of his uniform by the robotic arms. He soon reached the bottom and the doors opened so he could go out onto the extending platform out to where his seat was waiting for him. Gordon meanwhile had gone down his own express elevator with his own uniform attached en-route. He was now boarding via the cargo platform and in through the underside pair of doors on Thunderbird 1. Scott reached his chair and climbed in before being winched inside as the walkway retracted. Now that both brothers were inside, the trolley began to head up the diagonal tunnel conveying Thunderbird 1 to the launch bay with the swimming pool beginning to open as it arrived. Once the trolley had gotten the sleek silver bullet in place the pool was now fully open so they could take-off.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

Thunderbird 1's engines thundered into life and it majestically rose up out from within the launch bay and zoomed up into the sky, levelling out and Scott pushed it to full throttle, smashing through the sound barrier as it went. "Thunderbird 1 is GO!" said Scott, a lot more aggressively than usual. "Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 1. We're on our way, Virgil."

"F-A-B, Scott," replied Virgil. "Please hurry though."

"You got it," said Scott as he pushed Thunderbird 1 as fast as she would go.

Nelson Walker was annoyed by the harsh questions he was being given to him by Jeff. "Like I told your son, Mr Tracy, we were headed for New Guinea to make nature docs."

"With all due respect, Mr Walker, I don't believe you," said Jeff. "John here got in touch with the airfield you took off from. He then managed to track the movements of your Helijet. You took off after the storm had passed and flew directly to Victory Day Island. Your Helijet barely had enough gas to get it there and am I right in thinking it ran out just before you were able to land?"

Nelson let out a sigh. "Yes, that's correct," he said.

"It's clear you intended to fly to Victory Day Island, Mr Walker," said John. "What were you planning to do there?"

"I told you, wildlife documentary!" said Nelson sharply.

"Birds possibly?" asked John.

"Does it matter?" snapped Nelson.

"Maybe a hundred-year old metal bird?" asked Jeff.

Nelson stared. "What?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Walker," said Jeff sternly. "There is no wildlife on Victory Day Island. It hasn't had any since the bomb was dropped on it. You were looking for something else, weren't you?"

"Might it be this?" asked John as he brought up the image of the news article that Gordon had found that mentioned the conspiracy surrounding the missing B-25 bomber.

Nelson lay back on his pillow and let out another sigh. "You International Rescue people don't miss a trick, do you?" he remarked.

"So you were looking for it," said Jeff.

Nelson nodded. "Yes," he said. "The fate of that aircraft has never been fully told. The government said it went down in the sea, but there is eyewitness testimony saying that they saw it go down on the island after the settling of the blast. Why does that need to be covered up?"

"Why go looking?" asked Jeff. "That island's a forbidden zone. Nobody is allowed on it. You were trespassing on restricted property. And now two of your crew are dead because of it."

"Don't bring them into this!" snapped Nelson.

"Be honest, Mr Walker," said Jeff. "Why would you even do this? Let alone lie about it?"

"Because, Mr Tracy," said Nelson slowly. "You're part of the military system that's covered it up."

Jeff and John glared at him for a few seconds where he also glared back at them.

"We're not military, Mr Walker," said Jeff.

The curtains then were drawn back by two uneasy-looking nurses to reveal two GDF soldiers and a young female Lieutenant.

"But they are," said John.

Nelson looked between them and the GDF people. "What is this?" he demanded.

"Doctor's have passed you clean of radiation and free to be discharged into our custody, Mr Walker," said the Lieutenant. "We want to discuss this more back at headquarters."

Nelson grimaced as one of the soldiers moved to put handcuffs on him. "Those won't be necessary," he said. "I know when I'm beaten. I'll come quietly." He began to climb off the bed.

"For your information, Mr Walker," Jeff then said. "My youngest son and his partner found your B-25 when they were searching for your leading lady. Now his partner along with the other young lady who helped to get you off that island are back on it and are currently trapped down in the crater created by the bomb with potentially life-threatening injuries. Not to mention young Jessica has been lost on that island exposed to the radiation for a few hours now without any kind of protection whatsoever. If any one of them fails to come out of this situation alive, I will make sure you are held accountable for it!" He paused impressively before continuing. "So ask yourself, Mr Walker. Was it really worth it?"

Jeff and John's holograms disappeared leaving a rather pale and disturbed Nelson Walker to be taken away by the GDF.

Alan continued to look down at the unknown figure lying several feet down the side of the crater whilst Virgil tried to tend to Jessica. "I'm sorry you had to witness that," he said.

"They…your…partners?" Jessica asked weakly.

"Yes," replied Virgil.

Jessica coughed suddenly. "God - I feel sick," she remarked.

"You've been exposed for too long," said Virgil. "I need to get you aboard Thunderbird 2."

Just then the sound of another aircraft made them look up. It was Thunderbird 1 arriving and hovering a short distance from Thunderbird 2. The hatches underneath opened and Scott glided down with his jetpack whilst Gordon used a grapple to lower himself down. Like Virgil and Alan, they too were now wearing their orange anti-radiation suits.

"Virgil! Alan!" said Scott. "Glad to see you're okay. Where are they?"

"Down there," said Virgil, pointing to where Alan was. "The suits should still be protecting them from the radiation but have no idea what their internal conditions are. Also, I think Jessica is beginning to get radiation sickness."

"Get aboard Thunderbird 2 and into the decontamination chamber," said Scott. "I'll go down and-"

"DAMN YOU! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!"

Scott and Virgil spun around just in time to see Alan, tears streaming down his face lunging at Gordon. Gordon had no time to react before Alan gave him a hard shove and he fell onto his back.

"ALAN, STOP IT!" thundered Scott, dashing forwards and pulling his youngest brother back.

Alan then tried punching Scott but Scott caught both his arms and held them tightly.

"YOU ARE OUT OF LINE, LITTLE BROTHER!" Scott bellowed. "BEYOND OUT OF LINE!"

"We…shouldn't…have even…been…here!" sobbed Alan.

"That's not important," said Scott. "Now sit down there and stay quiet. You've caused enough trouble as it is!" He then released his grip on Alan who slumped against a rock and wept into his helmet.

Gordon by now had picked himself up and dusted himself off.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, Scott, I'm fine," replied Gordon. "I'll give Virgil a hand. You go and check on the ladies."

"F-A-B," said Scott. He activated his jetpack and headed carefully down the side of the crater towards the visible person. As he went he checked his radiation gauge, it was in the high orange and dangerously close to hitting red. He then landed next to the figure who was lying on their front and peered through the visor. It was still intact much to his amazement. "Guys. I've found Hayley," he said.

Alan let out a wail of despair whilst Virgil felt a little relieved. "How does she look, Scott?"

"Helmet visor is intact," said Scott. "Going to perform a med-scan now to check for internal injuries."

"Where's Sophie?" Alan demanded.

Scott looked around. He soon caught sight of another figure lying on their back nearby. "I can see her, Alan," he said. "I'll check on her in a moment." He placed a hand on Hayley's shoulder as he ran the scanning device across her body.

The feeling of Scott's hand caused Hayley to stir. She let out a soft moan. "Wha-wha-wha-"

"Easy, Hayley," said Scott. "I need you to remain still for me please."

"S-S-Scott?" asked Hayley. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Down in the crater," said Scott. "But don't worry. We'll have you out in no time."

Hayley was dazed as she tried to remember how she'd gotten where she was. Then she remembered and let out a gasp. "Oh, God…Sophie?!"

"She's about ten feet away," said Scott. "I'm going to check on her in a second. Just need to finish this scan."

Virgil used Thunderbird 2's winch to raise the stretcher with Jessica on it up into the hovering goliath along with Gordon who promised to get her into the decontamination and start the cleansing process.

"She's not looking good, Virgil," Gordon said. "I do hope we're not too late."

"I fear we might be this time, Gordon," answered Virgil. "She's been exposed a lot longer than any of us have been."

"I'll do what I can to help her," Gordon promised. "Once she's in, I'll cleanse the stretcher then you can use it to winch the girls up."

"Thanks, Gordon," said Virgil. He then went back to join Alan by the edge just as Scott had finished the scan on Hayley's body. "How is she, Scott?"

"Left shoulder is dislocated, right ankle appears to be twisted," replied Scott. "I suspect there'll be a fair few bruises as well. But there's nothing that is fatal. She'll recover quickly with enough rest. We'll just need to get the shoulder back in place."

Virgil felt relieved.

Alan was impatient. "Okay, now can you check on Sophie?" he asked.

Scott chose not to acknowledge his brother but was already about to make his way over to check on Sophie. He found her on her back with her eyes closed. He bent down and gave her a very gentle shake. "Sophie? It's Scott. Can you hear me?" Unlike Hayley, Sophie did not respond and remained motionless. "Oh, God, please be alive," Scott said to himself as he began to run the scan.

"Well?" Alan asked impatiently.

Scott took a deep breath and thought carefully before answering. "Do you want the good or the bad news first?" he asked.

"Don't you dare say it!" Alan said sharply.

"Good news - she's alive," said Scott. "Bad news - I've detected three fractures. Right leg below the knee, right arm above the elbow and shoulder also dislocated. And her spine's broken too."

Alan screwed up his eyes. "No, nonononononononoNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. Virgil tried to comfort him but Alan pushed him away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled before breaking down in tears.

Virgil felt like crying too. He felt awful, and not just because his own girl had been injured. He knew that Alan had been right in that it was his suggestion for Sophie to come out on the mission with them. Now she and Hayley were hurt, Sophie severely. "What have I done?" he asked miserably.

Scott came back into view to where Hayley was. "Send down the stretcher, Virgil," he said. "We'll get Hayley out first, then we'll recover Sophie."

"You got it," said Virgil. "Gordon, how's that stretcher?"

"Stretcher is free and clean," Gordon answered over the radio. "It's all yours, bro."

Virgil remotely activated the winch again and the stretcher was lowered down to Scott. "Hayley, I am going to put your shoulder back into place and then roll you onto the stretcher," he said. "This is going to hurt so I apologise in advance."

"No apology, please, Scott," said Hayley. "Do whatever you need to do. I can take it."

Scott smiled. "Wow. You're one brave person," he said which warmed both Hayley and Virgil's hearts but made Alan feel sick with anger. "Okay," Scott continued. "One, two, three!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Hayley yelled as Scott got her shoulder back in place, but then she felt better. "Oh, that's better," she said.

"I know you said not to but sorry anyway," said Scott. "At least it's not the arm I'm rolling you over on. Are you up for this?"

"As I'll ever be," said Hayley.

"Okay," said Scott. "One, two, three!"

Hayley winced in pain as Scott rolled her over onto her back and onto the stretcher simultaneously. He then strapped her in.

"She's secure, Virgil," Scott reported. "Take her up."

"F-A-B," said Virgil as he put the winch into reverse. "Get ready to receive, Gordon."

Hayley felt herself being winched up slowly and carefully up out of the crater. As she reached Virgil and Alan, the two lovers made eye contact. They wanted to hold hands but the straps prevented Hayley from moving and she was too far out for Virgil to reach. Alan had to turn away, unable to bring himself to look at Hayley.

Hayley soon arrived in Thunderbird 2 where Gordon immediately began to attend to her. "Hey, Gordon."

"Hey," Gordon replied as he undid the straps. "Am I glad to see you."

"Likewise," Hayley replied. "Back in the chamber?"

"Yes, but this time you'll be lying down," said Gordon. "Your skin should be fine, but the uniform will need to be cleansed before you can remove it."

"Understood," said Hayley as she was moved into the chamber next to the one that Jessica was in.

"A good thing we have five of these," Gordon remarked to himself as he gave the stretcher another cleanse so it could be used for Sophie. "Hayley is in the chamber, Virgil," Gordon said. "And the board is ready for use again."

"F-A-B, Gordon," said Virgil.

Gordon put the stretcher back in the harness and Virgil lowered it down again to Scott who was next to Sophie.

"This is going to be tricky," said Scott. "Her injuries are severe. I just hope I don't make her worse." He worked as carefully as he could to cautiously move the unconscious Sophie onto the stretcher. She still did not regain consciousness but he did what he could to not disturb her or risk making her injuries worse. "She's in, Virgil," Scott said once he'd fastened the straps. "Take her up."

Virgil did so and he and Alan watched with guilt flooding their veins as Sophie came into view for the first time since she'd gone over the edge. Scott followed them up using his jetpack.

"She's going to be okay, right, Scott?" asked Alan.

"She's not in good shape, Alan," said Scott. "However, she's in slightly better shape than Gordon was that time when Thunderbird 4 was crushed. With plenty of rest and relaxation she should be fine."

Alan let out a sigh. "This ends our relationship," he said bitterly.

"What makes you say that?" asked Virgil.

Alan glared at him. "You really think Sophie's family are going to let us see each other after we caused this to her?" he asked. "They'll hold us accountable! Hell, they might even sue us for it!"

"Now you're overthinking, Alan," said Scott. "It won't come to that. Believe me."

"Hmph!" snorted Alan. "Oh, it will. We've not heard the last of this!"

Having dropped a cleansed Jessica off at a specialist hospital in New Zealand, Thunderbirds 1 and 2 got back to Tracy Island as dusk was falling. Hayley and Sophie had also been cleansed and the suits had been removed from them. They were now in beds in the Sick Room with Hayley having a cast on her leg and with Sophie having casts and a neck brace so that when she would eventually regain consciousness she'd not startle herself into making her injuries any worse.

Whilst Grandma and Brains were left to make sure the patients were comfortable, the brothers, who had also gone through the decontamination chambers, found themselves in the lounge whilst Jeff gave Alan a huge dressing-down over his actions earlier that afternoon.

"I am appalled, Alan," Jeff was saying. "You're supposed to be a professional like the rest. What the hell were you thinking attacking Virgil and then Gordon like that?"

Alan had already begun to regret what he'd done during the time in the decontamination chamber. "I, I, I don't know, Dad," he said sadly. "Something just came over me and…I just don't know."

"You thought Sophie might be dead and in the moment saw red?" said Gordon.

Alan nodded as a tear trickled down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Dad," he said. "I've really messed up this time, haven't I?"

"That's an understatement, Alan," said Jeff. "Now whilst I don't blame you for being scared and upset for Sophie's safety, that's totally natural. I feel responsible as much as you do."

"And me," said Virgil. "It was my suggestion after all."

"However…" Jeff went on. "I cannot and will NOT tolerate violence between you boys, under ANY kind of circumstance. You could have gotten Virgil seriously hurt as well, or worse. It pains me to do this at your age, Alan, and today of all days, but I'm going to have to ground you for the rest of the month."

Scott, Virgil and Gordon were shocked. So was John who'd been attending via hologram from Thunderbird 5.

More tears trickled down Alan's cheek. He turned to Virgil. "I'm so sorry, Virgil," he whimpered as he gave his brother a big hug.

Virgil accepted the hug and held his youngest brother tightly. "I forgive you, Alan," he said. "And I'm sorry too for making the suggestion."

Alan let go of Virgil and turned back to Jeff. "Before I'm sent to my room, can I at least sit with Sophie for a bit, Dad?"

Jeff thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, you may," he said. "Half an hour only though, Alan."

Alan nodded gratefully and began to make his way towards the exit. He stopped briefly beside Gordon. "Sorry for pushing you," he said.

Gordon held out his fist so they could pump and then they all watched Alan walk off towards the kitchen which was on the way to Sick Room.

Virgil waited until Alan was out of sight before speaking to Jeff. "Dad, with the greatest of respect, do you think that was really necessary?"

"Grounding him?" Jeff asked who was looking remorseful. "Believe me, Virgil, making that choice has hurt me immensely. But I just can't let something like that slide. I'm sorry."

Virgil didn't like it, but he respected that.

"What do we do if Thunderbird 3 is needed, Dad?" asked Scott.

"Let's hope she's not, Scott," replied Jeff. "But if she is required, we'll get whoever is available to fly her. Even if it's myself."

Thunderbird Shadow arrived back on Tracy Island about an hour after Thunderbirds 1 and 2 had done. Kayo had gone for a shower to get rid of the stench of cow mess off her before going to find the others. She found Jeff, Scott and Gordon looking through the observation window into the Sick Room. She saw Hayley and Sophie in their beds with Alan and Virgil sitting next to the respective beds holding their hands.

"John told me everything," Kayo said. "How are they?"

"Hayley's injuries are minor compared to Sophie's," replied Jeff. "Looks like they'll be staying here for a bit longer."

"We've spoken to their families and explained the situation," said Scott. "We've said we're going to try and return them home to recover as soon as they're able to travel."

"How did they take it?" asked Kayo.

"Not well, but they didn't blame us for what happened," said Jeff. "Have to say I'm amazed by that."

"So am I," agreed Gordon. "I felt sure Sophie's family would go ballistick for us having put their daughter in danger on her very first visit to us."

"I guess Hayley's parents know she's been with us long enough to know the risks of being involved with International Rescue," said Kayo.

"And Sophie's folks know their daughter faces danger on a daily basis by living on the Moon," added Scott. "At least those have worked in our favor."

Kayo looked back at Hayley and Sophie. "What have they said about it?" she asked.

"Hayley's fine in herself, just very sore," said Jeff. "Sophie however hasn't regained consciousness."

"We think she hit her head inside the helmet when she fell," said Scott. "Initial scans didn't reveal any major damage to her brain or skull but-"

"It could have missed it," said Kayo.

They all fell silent as they looked back inside at the two young couples.

"Come on, let's leave them to it," said Jeff and ushered them away. "They need some privacy."

"What happened to the cattle rustlers, Hayley?" asked Gordon as they walked away.

"Stayed asleep until we landed in Australia," replied Kayo. "I also found the calf they'd left behind on the island and reunited it with the rest. The rustlers and plane crew are now in custody and the cows are safely with their rightful owners."

"At least something's got a happy ending," said Jeff.

"Hang on, what about Alan?" asked Gordon. "You said he could only have thirty minutes. He's been in there for an hour."

"I'll let that slide, Gordon," replied Jeff. "I think I've been a bit too harsh on him if I'm honest."

Kayo was confused. "Why, what did he do?"

"It's a long story," said Scott.

Virgil and Alan sat by the bed with Hayley and Sophie in. Hayley was awake and relatively comfortable. She had been told the story by the others and was looking over at Sophie and Alan with a depressed look on her face. "I'm sorry, Alan," she said. "I tried to hold on-"

"It's not your fault, Hayley," answered Alan. "I should have been the one to protect her. And I'm sorry for blaming Virgil for it."

"No, you were right to," said Virgil. "I think we each hold a level of responsibility for what's happened today."

Hayley and Alan nodded in agreement.

Alan looked at Sophie sadly. "What a mess," he said miserably. "What chance do I have to make this right again?"

"One, Alan," said Hayley as the conversation she'd had with Sophie aboard Thunderbird 2 came back to her. "We only have one life. We need to make it count."

Alan listened to Hayley's words carefully and was touched by it.

Virgil too felt warm inside of him after hearing those words. "Make that both of us," he said. "I should have been more protective of you out there."

"Nonsense, hun," said Hayley. "It's not the first severe incident I've been involved in - just the first that I've suffered any serious injury."

"I guess this has been an eye-opener for what being a medic is like in the field?" said Alan. "Did Sophie give you any tips?"

Hayley hesitated. "Yeah…about that," she said. "I've realised now that being a medic takes a lot of skill and knowledge - which isn't something I've got when it comes to treating people. I'm far better at being a leader it would seem."

Virgil's face fell. He knew where this was going. "Does that mean-?" he began.

"Yes, Virgil," said Hayley. "When I'm fully recovered and am able to return to duty, I'll be speaking to Colonel Casey about it. I want to be a field agent instead."

Virgil let out a quiet sigh. He had hoped that Hayley wasn't going to make this decision, but he knew it wasn't up to him to make. He managed to make himself smile. "If it makes you happy, beautiful, then that will make me happy too."

"It's my life," said Hayley as she looked up at the ceiling. "We only get one. We must do what we think is best."

"That's quite a statement, Hayley," said Alan. "Who told you that?"

Hayley smiled. "She did," she said, nodding in the direction of Sophie.

Alan and Virgil were amazed as they looked at Sophie.

"I must say, Alan," Hayley continued. "You couldn't have picked a better person. You and she make a fantastic couple."

"If you need any advice or help, just let us know," added Virgil.

Alan smiled, feeling better than he'd done for most of the day. "Thanks, guys," he said. "That means a lot to me."

A moan then caught their attention. They all looked at Sophie whose eyes were slowly beginning to open. "W-W-W-Where…am…I?" she asked sleepily. Her eyes then fixed onto Alan. "Alan?"

"Sophie!" cried Alan excitedly. "You're awake!" He felt like crying again with joy. "Oh, man. I thought I had lost you!"

Sophie broke a small smile. "Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily, mate," she said. "I can be knocked down but I-" She broke off and a worried frown fell across her face.

"What were you going to say?" asked Alan eagerly.

Sophie's expression became more worried, which began to worry the others.

"Sophie?" Hayley said. "What's wrong?"

Sophie didn't answer for a second, but then when she did, her words sent chills down their spines. "Guys…why can't I feel my legs?"