ALAN could not understand it. Here he was outside a Space-Station with two men inside who were in need of rescuing, and yet he had no way to get inside the Space-Station to get them out. Alan was starting to panic. "Brains, there's no rest of the airlock!" he cried into his radio. "How am I supposed to get in?"

Brains hesitated before answering. "You c-can't get in, Alan," he said.

"What?! What do you mean I can't?!"

"The OCT Space-Station's was designed so that only the S-Supply Module can dock with it," Brains explained. "The rest of the airlock is b-built into the back of it."

"You knew that all along, Brains?" Alan suddenly exploded in a rage. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

"I t-tried, Alan," answered Brains sheepishly. "But you d-didn't give me a chance to say that."

Alan felt the colour drain from his face. He looked back at Files who simply responded with a shrug. "Sorry, pal," Files said. "Looks like you've had a wasted trip. So long!" He turned and walked out of shot.

"No!" Alan cried despairing. "There has to be another way to get inside! There has to be!"

Brains was about to speak again, but Jeff stopped him. "Allow me, Brains," he said. He then turned to Alan's hologram. "Alan. son. There's nothing you can do for them. Return to base."

"But…But…"

"Alan. Come home."

Alan felt like crying. He was desperate to make sure the two men inside would live. He wanted to grab his little laser torch and cut his own entrance. But he knew that if he did, the Space-Station would suffer a huge decompression and would likely be the end of the men inside. He let out a sigh. Then he took the device off the door and headed back to Thunderbird 3 without a word.

Scott turned to Jeff. "If you knew that all along, Dad, why didn't you radio him sooner?"

Jeff sighed. "You know what Alan's like, Scott. He can get really stubborn. He needed to learn that for himself."

Files re-joined Zimmerman in the control room. They both stood by the window and watched as Alan returned to Thunderbird 3 before the mighty red rocket moved away to head back down to Earth. "How cute is that?" Files remarked. "Little kid wanted to rescue us. Boy, you should have seen the look on his face when he realised he couldn't get in. Hilarious it was."

Zimmerman gave a small chuckle, but didn't find the situation as funny as his colleague did. Deep down, he was getting worried. "I hope they can get up here soon," he said to himself. "If they don't, we're done for!"

Alan had returned to Tracy Island and was shown a holographic blueprint of the OCT Space-Station as well as the ones for the Supply Rocket.

"The idea of having an a-airlock that could only be accessed by one t-type of craft was a good idea in theory," Brains was saying. "But I had a f-feeling that this would come back to haunt the OCT company."

"It's absurd!" said Alan. "There is absolutely no kind of escape from that station. There isn't even an escape pod!"

"You know how arrogant some designers can be, Alan," said Scott. "Look at Fischler."

"He wasn't the one who designed it, was he?" asked Gordon.

"No, Gordon, he wasn't," said Brains. "Fischler would do this sort of thing p-purely to save money. The p-people who designed the OCT station's logic was so it could stop any unwanted personnel from invading it and stop any hostile takeovers."

"As you said, a good idea in theory. But bad in reality," said Virgil.

Brains nodded.

"There must be something we can do though?" asked Scott. "Those guys need fresh air and supplies taken up to them within the next two days."

"Relax, boys," said Jeff. "As much as I want to make sure those men are safe, I'm certain that the OCT Base in England is doing everything they can to get one of the other rockets ready for launching."

A beeping sound filled the room as John's hologram appeared.

"John," said Jeff. "Do we have a situation?"

"I think we may well do, Dad," answered John. "I've got Colonel Casey on the line for you."

Everyone was on alert.

"What could Colonel Casey have for us?" Virgil wondered out loud.

"News on The Cabal, I hope," said Kayo.

"I h-hope not," said Brains. "I still haven't f-finished your upgrade yet, Kayo."

Colonel Casey's hologram appeared from the projector in the tables. "Boys. Kayo," she said. "I hope you're all well?"

"As well as can be, Colonel," answered Jeff. "What can we do for you?"

"We have a situation that may require your assistance if you're able to provide it?" said Colonel Casey.

"Always, Martha," said Jeff with a smile. "Where are we headed?"

"I hope to space," said Colonel Casey, taking them all by surprise. Then they were even more surprised when the hologram of a familiar object appeared. "This is the OCT Space-Station," she began. "It's-"

"Got two men aboard who will run out of air within two days unless the Supply Rocket gets to them in time?" Alan blurted out. Silence fell and everyone looked at him. He turned red with embarrassment. "Um, sorry. I'm gonna…be quiet now."

"That's…correct," said Colonel Casey, once she'd recovered from her own surprise. "As you probably know, the last attempt to reach it ended in disaster."

"One astronaut died and four were injured if I recall correctly?" said Scott.

Colonel Casey nodded grimly. "Yes, Scott. That is also correct," she said. "The two men aboard the station are safe for now, but unless we get the supplies they need within the next two days, they'll perish."

"Isn't the OCT Base getting another rocket ready for launch?" asked Jeff.

Colonel Casey's answer shocked them. "No, they're not," she said.

"What?!" exclaimed Alan. "Why?!"

"The answer to that is simple, Alan," Colonel Casey replied. "They have the rocket, but nobody to pilot it."

Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

"That doesn't make sense, Colonel," said Kayo. "That's a Space Base. surely there has to be someone who can pilot that rocket?"

"You'd think, wouldn't you?" said Colonel Casey. "But I'm afraid there were only four astronauts who were passed out to fly that particular kind of rocket."

"And one was lost when the rocket exploded," said Virgil. "But what about the other three?"

"The remaining three are in the hospital," said Colonel Casey.

Jeff sank back into his chair. "Three of the four that were injured when the debris hit the base?"

"Yes, Jeff," said Colonel Casey. "There's nobody else who's even close to passing out to fly that rocket, and the base isn't going to be able to get anyone else passed out in time. This is why I've come to you, to see if you can help."

"Well, Alan's literally just been up there to try and get them out after reading the morning paper," said Jeff. "He couldn't get them out as the rest of the airlock is built into the supply capsule."

"I figured as much," said Colonel Casey with a sigh. "Something has to be done though. We can't afford to lose those men or the station."

Everyone exchanged more puzzled looks.

"Pardon me, Colonel," said John. "But what interest do you have with the OCT station?"

Colonel Casey adjusted her uniform jacket. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret information," she said. "That Space-Station has a much greater significance to world peace than you can possibly imagine."

Jeff leaned forwards again. "Do tell," he said with interest.

"To the world, OCT stands for Orbital Climate Translator," explained Colonel Casey. "And that's the cover. It's actual title is Orbital Cabal Triangulator. Ever since The Hood's latest escape, we've taken over the satellite and are using it to scan the world for any sign of movement from The Cabal."

"So you were kind of right," Gordon said quietly to Kayo.

"That's fascinating, Colonel," said Scott. "And whilst we all understand the importance, it still does not get us any closer with how we're going to rescue those two men inside the station."

"I know, Scott," said Colonel Casey. "But I was rather hoping you guys might think of something."

Brains had been quiet up until this point. Everyone was too busy listening to Colonel Casey to have noticed. That was until Jeff caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye. "Brains?"

Brains looked up at the sound of his voice. "Yes, Mr T-Tracy?"

"You okay?" asked Jeff. "You look deep in thought?"

"I w-was," answered Brains. "And I think I m-might have a plan on how we can perform this rescue."

Everyone looked at him eagerly.

"Go on?" said Colonel Casey.

"It's simple," said Brains. "Thunderbird 3 cannot perform this rescue. So we shall have to improvise. We can use the OCT Supply Rocket."

Now everyone was confused.

"Er, Brains? The only people permitted to fly that rocket are currently injured in hospital," Gordon said.

"We w-won't need them, Gordon," said Brains. "Alan will fly it."

Alan nearly fell off the sofa. "W-What? Me?!" he spluttered. "Me fly the Supply Rocket?"

"Yes!" said Brains triumphantly. "It's the only option we have."

"But, Brains, I don't know how to fly that rocket," protested Alan. "How the heck can I-"

"You m-may not at the moment, Alan," said Brains. "But you will. And for that, I am going to n-need to make a few adjustments to your suit's helmet. Go and get it would you please and then take it down to my lab so I can get to work?"

Alan looked at Jeff. "Well, go on then," said Jeff.

Still confused, Alan got up and hurried out of the lounge to get his helmet from the changing rooms.

Brains turned back to Colonel Casey. "C-Colonel. I know that the OCT Base p-probably won't permit this, but can you find a way in order to get them to co-operate and have the rocket ready for when Alan is ready?"

"Of course," said Colonel Casey. "I'll go to the base in person. I'll have that rocket ready for you. I'll be in touch." She then signed off.

Everyone looked at Brains.

"Brains, what do you have in mind?" asked Scott.

"A little idea I've been thinking of for s-sometime," said Brains. "But I w-want to make sure that I get it right before I reveal it."

"Seems fair," said Jeff. "How long will you need?"

"H-Hard to say, Mr Tracy," replied Brains. "It'll take a little time to make the necessary modifications to Alan's helmet. A day at least."

Jeff frowned. "Brains, I know you don't like working under pressure but you'll have to do better than that," he said. "You've got twelve hours. Get to it!"

Colonel Casey was making her way across the North Atlantic aboard a GDF Flyer on the way to Base Caribou. She was in conversation with Dr Chen via hologram-projector. "Dr Chen, how long will it take you to get another rocket ready?"

"We could do it in twenty-six hours," replied Dr Chen. "But what's the use? Who's going to fly it?"

"Leave that problem to me, Doctor," said Colonel Casey. "The GDF will supply the astronaut."

Dr Chen looked confused. "I don't think you quite understand what you're saying, Colonel," she said. "You can't just pick up an astronaut. It takes years of training."

"My guy is no rookie, I assure you," said Colonel Casey.

"But the OCT Supply Rocket is different to any other kind of spaceship!" protested Dr Chen. "Nobody can just turn up and fly it-"

"Dr Chen, I am on my way to your base as we speak," said Colonel Casey sharply. "I want the preparation for that rocket's launch to start immediately. The lives of two men are at stake. Over and out." And with that she ended the transmission.

Dr Chen jumped out of her chair. "Colonel? Colonel Casey?!" She then kicked the desk angrily. "Ugh. Damn her!"

"She seemed…rather insistent, Doctor," remarked Hawthorne.

Dr Chen took deep breaths and calmed herself down. She had quickly come to realise that with Colonel Casey coming to the base, she'd been left with no choice but to follow her instructions. "Alright, Hawthorne," she said with a slightly bitter tone in her voice. "We're going to try again. Get the pad cleared and start moving Number Three in."

With the instructions given, the preparations for the rocket's launching were soon underway. Two hours after the order was given, on the far side of the base, a tall silo door opened up to allow the giant OCT-3 rocket to be brought out on its equally large red mobile gantry. With the speed of a snail, it began to slowly ease its way out into the daylight to begin the long transit across the base to the opposite side. It was a process that would take five hours to complete due to the launch pad being right on the opposite end to the silo. It would then take several more hours to get it fuelled up and all technical checks made before its launch window.

"The rocket will be on the pad at 15:00 hours," Hawthorne said to Dr Chen.

"Good," said Dr Chen. "Now I want a round the clock check of every circuit, every valve, every pump, every detail of that rocket. And when it's been checked once, Hawthorne, check it again!"

Hawthorne nodded. "Yes, Doctor!"

Dr Chen looked up towards the sky out of the window. "This time we have got to reach that Space-Station - at all costs."

John has positioned Thunderbird 5 close to the OCT Space-Station so he could keep an eye on it. He did not make any attempt to contact it though.

"How's it looking, John?" asked Jeff.

"No change, Dad," answered John. "Although I am getting a little worried about them. Despite the danger, they did not seem bothered when Alan tried to get them out. It's almost like they enjoyed seeing him fail to get them out."

"Yes, I was thinking that myself," said Jeff. "Although if Alan is successful in piloting the Supply up to them, I would like to see the look on their faces."

"That would be somewhat satisfying, I'll admit," said John. Just then, a beeping sound caught his attention. "Uh-oh," he said.

"What's wrong, son?"

"Space debris detected," said John. "And it's headed straight for the Space-Station!"

"Quick, John! Warn them to move their station out of the way!" said Jeff.

"Already on it," said John. He pressed a button. "International Rescue to OCT Station. You've got space debris headed your way. You need to move out of its path."

Zimmerman's hologram appeared. "Thanks for the warning, International Rescue. We've just picked up the debris on our radar. We'll move up a few degrees. Over and out."

John looked back out the window at the OCT Station. "Let's hope that's enough," he said. He could see from the scope that some pieces of debris were quite large. He saw the thrusters of the station ignite which began to push it upwards in order to get clear of the debris.

For the most part, the debris passed underneath safely, but there was one rather small piece that clipped a part of the station. It was light however and didn't cause any vibration through the station so neither of the men aboard realised it.

"Looks like you're all clear now, OCT," said John. "I'll alert the Space Agency to have that debris cleared up."

"Many thanks, International Rescue," said Zimmerman. "Your buddy might not have been able to help us, but you were. You have our gratitude. Have a good day." He then signed off.

John and Jeff exchanged looks, unsure what to think or say.

However, what nobody could see was a tiny plume of white gas slowly leaking out from the bottom of the Space-Station.

"That sure was a close one," said Files.

"It sure was," agreed Zimmerman. He then let out a lawn. "Man, I feel kind of tired," he said.

"Could be the air supply," said Files. "I'll check it."

The Tracy family watched as Brains finished making the final adjustments to Alan's helmet. Alan was in his uniform as instructed so he could perform an immediate test run.

"There we g-go, Alan," said Brains once he'd finished. "It's r-ready for testing."

Alan took the helmet. "Okay, and what am I supposed to do?"

"You will test use it in one of the Thunderbirds," said Brains.

Alan looked at the others in confusion. "But I know how to fly the other Thunderbirds?" he said.

"Not all of them," said Brains. He then looked across the cavern to a certain black-coloured ship.

Kayo was quick to object once the penny had dropped. "No! Absolutely not!"

Alan was also quick to agree. "Thunderbird Shadow?! I have no idea how to fly that."

"Which makes it the p-perfect test vehicle," said Brains. "My new upgrade to your h-helmet will show you how to fly Thunderbird S."

"Brains, this is ludicrous!" Kayo said crossly.

Jeff was quick to shut her down. "That's enough, Kayo," he said sharply. "Alan, get aboard and be ready for launching."

Even though it looked as though nothing had happened to the OCT Station, John still felt uncertain by it. Some of those pieces of debris looked awfully close to it, he thought to himself. I'd better run a scan of the station and put my mind at rest. He brought up a hologram image of the Space-Station and began to run a scan of it. At first all seemed to be normal, until he picked a small dot at the bottom of the station. "Wait, there is something," he said out loud. "And that's in the area of the oxygen tanks!" He pressed the button to contact the station. "OCT from International Rescue. Come in, please?" This time there was no response from the station. "OCT, this is International Rescue. Please acknowledge me?" There was still no response. "This isn't good," John said. "I need to find out what this is. I'll have to go and take a look myself." He hurried out of the control room and made his way to the changing chamber so he could have his space exo-suit attached to his body.

Once the suit was attached and John had put on his helmet, he passed through the airlock and out of the doors, leaving Thunderbird 5 and heading out into space. He then fired up the boosters and began to fly over towards the OCT Station. He soon reached the Space-Station and began to look around underneath the structure. It didn't take long to discover the problem. He found the oxygen tanks located underneath the Space-Station with one leaking a vapour.

"Oh, man!" John said. "This really isn't good. Good job I can fix this." He took out a metal sealant plate and placed it over the small crack so the oxygen was no longer leaking. "Let's hope they've got enough to last." He then moved up to the window of the control room and peered inside. He could only see Zimmerman inside and he waved and knocked on the glass, hoping that Zimmerman would notice him. However, Zimmerman was too engrossed in his work to notice John. John did however notice him yawn which told him all he needed to know. "The oxygen is getting low for them. They're getting tired." He turned and headed back to Thunderbird 5. "I have to alert Dad," he said. "I hope that rocket's nearly ready."

Alan was very nervous as he climbed into the cockpit of Thunderbird Shadow. The Shadowbike was already in the main body of the craft so he had no need to get it there. After sitting himself down in the cockpit, he looked at the controls and could feel sweat on his brow. "I'm really not sure about this, Brains," he said.

"You can do it, Alan," Brains replied. "Trust in me."

"You've got this, little bro!" said Gordon with encouragement.

Virgil and Scott were also showing smiles to try and ease Alan's nerves. That helped a little until Alan's eyes fell upon Kayo. She was standing with her arms folded and a burning look on her face as she mouthed the words 'Don't you dare break my ship'. He gulped and then put his helmet on. At first, he could not see anything different.

"Tap the right side of your helmet, Alan," said Brains.

Alan did so and a new kind of heads-up display appeared. "Woah!" he exclaimed. It now showed what was like a digital display label over every control lever and button telling him what it did. Now he felt a little bit more confident. "Okay, let's give this a go," he said and reached for the controls.

Virgil had noticed the scowling look on Kayo's face. "You okay?" he asked in a low voice.

"Just a word of warning, Virgil," Kayo replied in an equally hushed voice. "If he scratches my ship, I may not be responsible for my actions."

"Have some faith, Kayo," said Grandma.

Alan moved a lever as per instructed by the visuals in his helmet. The yellow stand that Thunderbird S was mounted on immediately started to move backwards up the launch tunnel. "Wow. This is surreal," Alan said as the tunnel went from horizontal to vertical up to the launching position. Then the cliff began to swing around so that it was now out in the open and the turntable spun the ship around so that the nose was pointing towards the sky.

Kayo, Brains and the rest of the Tracy's swiftly moved from inside to outside so they could watch what happened next.

"You got this, son," said Jeff with confidence.

Kayo remained silent, wishing she had the faith that the others clearly had.

Alan took a deep breath. "Here we go," he said. "Five. Four. Three. Two. one!" He pulled a lever. With a roar, Thunderbird Shadow's engines roared into life. Then he released the clamp and the craft began to drop away from the cliff. "WooooooooooAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he cried in terror before quickly using the information that the helmet was telling him to flip the craft around and get it level before punching it up to full power and racing away from the island. "WoooooooooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Thunderbird Shadow is GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEEEEEEEEE-HA!"

The others watched in amazement as Alan performed manoeuvres with Thunderbird Shadow and not once did he get anything wrong. He followed the instructions being given to him via the heads-up display in the helmet to keep the craft flying perfectly.

Soon even Kayo began to be awed by what she saw.

Scott gave a chuckle. "You've never seen your own bird fly before, have you?" he asked.

"N-No, I haven't," stammered Kayo. "I never realised how majestic she looks in flight."

"There's still time," joked Gordon. "He may still crash it ye-"

"Gordon!" hissed Virgil and a glare from Jeff silenced the second-youngest brother.

"Okay, Alan," Brains said into a microphone. "I think we can s-safely say that this has been a success. You can return now."

"F-A-B, Brains," answered Alan. "As fun as this is, I'd rather Kayo have it back."

Everyone watched as Alan brought Thunderbird Shadow back to the cliff and landed it perfectly on the clamps.

"Well done, Alan," said Jeff. "I'm proud of you, son."

Alan beamed. "Thanks, Dad. You see, Gordon. I didn't break her."

Everyone looked at Gordon sternly.

"Sheesh," Gordon said, rolling his eyes. "I was just kidding."

Then Jeff's watch started beeping. It was John calling in. "Go ahead, Thunderbird 5?"

John's hologram appeared from the watch's face. He looked very concerned. "Dad, the situation with the OCT has escalated slightly," he said. "What's the status of Brains's upgrade to Alan's helmet?"

"Upgrade has been completed, John," said Jeff. "In fact we've just completed the test and it's worked perfectly it seems. What's the problem with the station?"

"Turns out that debris did make contact with the station after all," said John grimly. "It's made a slight cut in one of the oxygen tanks. The leak is slow, but it means the crew's going to run out of air sooner than we'd predicted."

"How long do they have?" asked Jeff.

"Hard to say," replied John. "At a rough guess - twenty-four hours. At least."

An uneasy silence fell upon the island as everyone exchanged worried looks. The time they all thought they had to prepare both Alan and the rocket for the mission had decreased significantly.

"John, contact Colonel Casey and ask for an update on how long it will take the OCT Base to get the rocket ready," said Jeff. "Make sure they know about the new situation update."

"F-A-B," said John and signed off.

Jeff turned to the others. "Scott, you'd better get Thunderbird 1 ready for launching. You'll need to take Alan over to the OCT Base. our private jet will take too long."

Scott nodded. "I'm on my way," he said. "I'll intercept Alan en-route."

Brains shifted uncomfortably. "I'd r-rather have had more time to conduct more tests, Mr Tracy," he said.

"I wish you could too, Brains," Jeff replied. "But it looks like time has forced our hand."

John came back a few moments later. "I've informed Colonel Casey of the situation. The rocket is still heading for the launch pad. The earliest it can launch is dawn tomorrow."

"Is that going to be enough time?" asked Virgil.

Jeff was stern and grim. "It's got to be," he said. "It's just got to be!"

The OCT-3 had finally arrived on the launch pad and was being thoroughly checked over by the base's technicians. Dr Chen had been more than serious when she'd said that it was to be monitored every second until it came to launching. The stress levels were unlike anything she'd experienced before, which she secretly was putting down to the presence of the GDF and Colonel Casey in particular.

"I honestly don't see the need for all this secrecy, Colonel," Dr Chen complained.

"Just play it our way, Doctor," said Colonel Casey. "Things are in hand. I assure you."

Dr Chen raised an eyebrow after glancing at her watch. "There's only a few hours to go until daybreak. Where is your astronaut?"

Colonel Casey checked her own watch. "I suspect they'll be on their way imminently," she replied.

Having filled Alan in on the situation, Scott was heading down to Thunderbird 1 in the express elevator where he was given his uniform. Once complete he headed out on the gantry to the waiting seat whilst Alan took the elevated platform to enter the ship lower down. Under his arm was the helmet with Brains' new modification. As soon as both brothers were aboard, the gantry and platform retracted and the hatches were closed. The trolley that Thunderbird 1 stood on started to travel up the diagonal tunnel to the launching bay and the swimming pool began to open ready for an immediate launching.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

Thunderbird 1 rumbled as its engines ignited and it gracefully rose up from within the launch bay and soared up into the sky, levelling out and then breaking the sound barrier as it accelerated to maximum speed.

"Thunderbird 1 is GO!" said Scott. "We're on our way, Dad."

"F-A-B, Scott," said Jeff. "Alan?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"Sorry I couldn't give you this brief face to face but this is how it's gotta be. Once you're aboard the OCT, the only people you'll be able to communicate with are the OCT Base. We don't want our transmissions to interrupt their own."

"Understood, Dad," said Alan. "Don't worry. I won't let you down this time."

Jeff's heart fluttered as he smiled. "I know you won't, son," he said.

After Jeff had signed off, Alan looked to the seat where his eldest brother was sitting at the controls. He couldn't see Scott except for the very top of his head. "Am I being dropped off at a secret location for a transfer to the base?" he asked.

"Nope. We're flying straight into the base," replied Scott.

Alan blinked in surprise. "But the OCT Base personnel will see us?"

"And?"

"And…er…" Alan tried to come up with a reason, but he couldn't.

"Dad said to me that Colonel Casey is keeping the OCT people in check to make sure that they do not cause any problems," Scott said. "Once we're nearing the English Coast, I'll make contact with the Colonel and she will make sure we get a clear run in."

Alan sat back in his seat. "Let's hope everything stays that way," he said.

"HALF AN HOUR?!"

"I'm afraid so," replied Dr Chen. "Our computers have picked up a fault in the rocket's navigation."

"But we can't afford a thirty minute delay!" objected Colonel Casey.

"I'm sorry, Colonel," said Dr Chen. "We'll restart the countdown as soon as we're ready to."

Colonel Casey narrowed her eyes. "I just hope this doesn't cost two lives," she said before turning to walk away.

Dr Chen lay back in her chair and let out a small sigh.

"Doesn't ask for much, does she?" Hawthorne said to Dr Chen. Dr Chen glared at him and gestured to be silent. Hawthorne was at first curious as to why. That was until he then got a feeling that there was someone standing right beside him. He slowly turned his head up and found himself looking into the piercing brown eyes of Colonel Casey. Being at least two feet taller than he was, she made him feel very small. "Oh…"

"If you have a problem with my plan of action to save the lives of your colleagues, Mr Hawthorne, please do say so," Colonel Casey said plainly.

Hawthorne quivered. "N-No, Colonel," he stammered hastily before turning to slink away in embarrassment. "No problems at all."

Colonel Casey watched him go before heading back towards the window. She reached into her trouser pocket and took out her communicator before activating it. "Colonel Casey calling Thunderbird 1."

"Go ahead, Colonel?"

"Scott, what's your position?"

"Approaching the Cornish coastline now," answered Scott. "I trust everything is ready?"

"Negative," answered Colonel Casey which immediately caused the two brothers to tense up. "There's a minor technical hitch with the rocket that needs sorting out so the countdown is on hold. You are to land in the first available location you can find and to await further instructions."

Scott and Alan exchanged anxious glances. "How long a delay are we talking about here?" asked Scott.

"Half an hour, we hope," Colonel Casey said.

"But the men in the space-station?" Alan began.

"I know, Alan," said Colonel Casey. "I don't like it either and I've ordered Dr Chen to get her crew to get it fixed ASAP. I'll contact you once the countdown is underway again."

"F-A-B," said Scott reluctantly as he slowed Thunderbird 1 down.

Files turned back to his colleague after being told the news. "Is that all they said?" he asked.

"Yes, just a technical hitch," answered Zimmerman. "Nothing to worry about."

"Technical hitch?" repeated Files. "That's yet another postponement. Where does that leave us?"

"Leaves us to carry on as usual," said Zimmerman.

But this time, Files' tone was grim. "Not quite," he said. "I checked the air supply. We've only got three hours of oxygen left!"