THE incident in Spoke City caused a massive rift through several parties. Virgil ended up taking charge of the scene, forcing Scott to stand-down due to the amount of anger that was raging through him. He also had Alan taken and put inside Thunderbird 2 for protection because Sheriff Mackenzie was screeching for Alan's head after taking down Schultz the way he had. Mackenzie had wanted Schultz brought in for his crimes, not injured in such a way that he was now fighting for his life in a hospital after having had both his legs crushed. The people of Spoke City were also divided with the vast majority commending Alan for stopping the man who'd caused carnage to their little town whilst a few agreed with the Sheriff that he should have been taken down without injury.

None were more divided however than the International Rescue team themselves. Scott was absolutely livid with Alan for his actions. Virgil was angry with Scott for lashing out at Alan after having told him that he shouldn't have disturbed Alan that morning. Gordon was saying Alan did the right thing and had the view that Schultz had deserved what he'd got, even if it though it was a bit extreme. John chose to not give an opinion of what had gone wrong. Brains didn't know what to think. Grandma did nothing but worry about Alan and Jeff found himself having to do negotiations with the High Courts and Schultz's lawyer who like Mackenzie was demanding that Alan be arrested for causing grievous bodily harm whilst Colonel Casey did her utmost to defend the International Rescue team and insist that it was a bad accident.

Kayo had come off the worst physically. Getting hit by Schultz had caused her to break three ribs when she had struck the mailbox. She was in great pain yet wasn't taken to hospital because Jeff had insisted that Virgil bring her back to the island in Thunderbird 2. With the situation potentially escalating, the last thing Jeff wanted was for anyone to stay in the United States where they could be harassed by the Press.

As for Alan, he was in the worst state of all. He was in shock. He was scared as the realisation of his actions sank in as slowly as it had taken the Titanic to sink. As the International Rescue team headed back to Tracy Island. Everyone was silent. Alan sat in the medical bay looking at the injured Kayo who was stable but currently unconscious. As he held her hand, tears of guilt trickled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kayo," he whispered. "I'm…so sorry." He buried his head on Kayo's left arm and sobbed.

Alan was still shaken by Scott's rage. He was dreading what his father was going to say to him. As he entered the lounge, flanked by Gordon and Virgil, he saw Jeff looking at him from behind the desk. He did not look happy. Scott, Brains and Grandma were there too. Scott was looking as furious as he'd done at the scene whilst Grandma and Brains were looking as upset for him as Virgil and Gordon were. Alan trembled like a leaf as he made his way over to Jeff's desk. He readied himself for the eruption of fury that was going to be thrown upon him.

"D-Dad," Alan began, his voice shaking. "I'm s-so s-sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Alan!" snapped Scott. "You've really screwed us over!"

"Give him a break, Scott!" growled Gordon. "Can't you see how much pain he's in right now?"

"And so he should feel the pain!" Scott growled back.

"ENOUGH!" Jeff thundered making the lounge fall silent. He took a breath and lowered his voice. "I need to talk to Alan alone. Everyone else please leave us."

Virgil, Gordon and Brains left immediately with Grandma following, she gave Alan a look of pure sorrow as she left. Alan could tell straight away that she wasn't going to hold this incident against him. Scott did not move however and stayed firmly where he was.

"Did you hear me, Scott?" Jeff asked. "I said leave us."

"I heard you, Dad," said Scott, his expression not changing.

"Then why are you still here?" asked Jeff, fixing Scott with an equally stern expression.

Scott hesitated, then turned and walked away without a word.

Jeff looked back at Alan. Alan looked at him. Then he shut his eyes and burst into tears before collapsing onto the floor. "S-S-S-S-S-Sorry, Dad," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Jeff had been about to yell at Alan, but after seeing his youngest son collapse into a heap the way he had, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He instead got up from his desk, came around to the front and pulled Alan into a hug. "Oh, Alan," he said sadly. "What happened? Please tell me."

"I-I-I don't know," Alan whimpered. "After seeing what the Shocker did to Kayo. I just snapped. I jumped into the Pod and charged at him. I only meant to get him away from Kayo. I didn't want to run him over. I swear!"

"I believe you, son," Jeff said.

Alan blinked and looked at his father through teary-blue eyes. "Y-You do?"

"I do," Jeff said. "I can't say that I am proud of what you did out there. I most certainly am not. You've caused us a lot of trouble by doing that. But, I don't believe for one second that you ran Mr Schultz over on purpose. I'm also aware from what Virgil told me in confidence that you haven't been sleeping well lately?"

Alan shook his head. "No, I haven't," he sniffed. "I was actually in a deep sleep this morning before Scott forced me to wake up and make me go to Thunderbird 2. I thought I could handle myself out there. But I really couldn't. I guess this is the end of my International Rescue career."

"Certainly not!" said Jeff, letting go of him. "Whilst you've caused us a whole heap of trouble, son, I'm not going to let this be the end of you or International Rescue. Even the greatest rescue forces in the world can suffer embarrassing incidents, including us. I feel that perhaps you need a break from active duty until you feel you're able to continue. Maybe just stick to space missions for now if one comes up." He put his hand onto Alan's shoulder. "We'll get past this, Alan. I promise. And I'm going to make sure that nobody will hold what has happened today against you."

"Tell that to Scott," Alan grunted.

Jeff nodded. "I'll be speaking to him separately," he said. "For now, Alan, I want you to go and get some rest. Go take a long, hot shower and go to bed. I'll have Grandma bring you some food up later."

Alan wiped the tears from his eyes. He still felt very guilty about what had happened, but Jeff's words had made him feel a little better. "Thank you, Dad," he said, hugging him tightly. "I just feel like I've let you all down."

"Never," Jeff replied with a small smile. Despite what had happened, he still loved Alan. "Now, off you go," he added. "Oh, and Alan?"

"Yes?"

"Try sleeping in the bed this time," said Jeff. "You may find that makes a difference."

Alan managed a small smile. "I will," he promised, suddenly remembering what Kayo had said to him earlier that day.

Alan's slight relief from Jeff's comforting words were short-lived. As he left the lounge and past where the stairs that led up to the bedrooms and down to the kitchen were, he stopped when he heard angry voices coming from below. It seemed as though Gordon, Scott and Virgil were having a blazing row about him.

"SCOTT, THAT IS TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER!" Virgil roared. "YOU CANNOT ASK DAD FOR THAT!"

"OH, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK HIM, VIRGIL," Scott shouted back. "I'M GOING TO DEMAND IT AND NO MISTAKE! ALAN NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED FOR WHAT HE'S DONE!"

"SCOTT, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Gordon thundered. "WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU TO REALISE THAT?!"

"IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT, GORDON!" rumbled Scott. "HE DIRECTED THAT POD RIGHT AT THE SHOCKER AND MOWED HIM DOWN! HOW YOU CAN YOU DEFEND HIM FOR DOING THAT?!"

"FIRSTLY, BECAUSE OF WHAT THE SHOCKER DID TO KAYO!" Gordon yelled. "AND SECONDLY, THE SHOCKER HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO JUMP OUT OF THE WAY AND AT LEAST BE DISTRACTED LONG ENOUGH FOR A GDF SOLDIER TO DISABLE HIM!"

Scott slammed his fist on the table. "I TOO AM ANGRY FOR WHAT'S HAPPENED TO KAYO! I TOO WOULD PROBABLY HAVE PUNCHED THAT CROOK INTO BOXING DAY! BUT CRIMINAL OR NOT, HE DID NOT DESERVE TO HAVE HIS LEGS CRUSHED!"

"BOYS, ENOUGH!" Grandma butted in. "You're going to give me a migraine if you carry on like that. Now sit down, be quiet and eat your dinner. Your father will decide what to do with Alan if anything."

"What do you think, Grandma?" asked Virgil.

"That Alan made a mistake, yes," Grandma said. "And that's all he made. I don't believe that he intended to run over Mr Schultz. Don't forget that being tired can make people do things without realising they're doing it. Alan hasn't been sleeping well lately, so I am not surprised that his fatigue has gotten the better of him."

Scott sighed in frustration. "You're still all missing the point! Haven't any of you thought of the consequences of this incident? The Sheriff and Schultz's lawyer want Alan to stand trial for what he's done. If Schultz dies from his injuries, what are the media going to say about it? Criminal killed by International Rescue?! Our reputation will be ruined! Nobody will ever call us out again after that and thousands of lives may be lost because nobody can trust us anymore!"

"Scott, you're overreacting!" said Virgil. "Schultz isn't dead as far as we know, and I really do not believe that Dad will allow that to happen even if he does. You know he has friends in the right places."

"Colonel Casey for one," said Gordon. "She's not blaming Alan for it. I asked her in confidence before we left."

Scott stood up without touching his food. "It isn't right!" he said. "I'm going to talk to Dad."

"Scott, don't!" Virgil said jumping up but Grandma stopped him. "Let him go, Virgil," she said as Scott headed back up the stairs towards the lounge. "I don't think he'll be coming back with what he wants."

Scott didn't hear what Grandma had said, nor did he notice Alan hiding in the shadows. Alan gave Scott a glare of hatred, something he'd never felt towards any member of his family before. Everyone clearly didn't blame him for what he'd done, so why was Scott being so antagonistic about it? He had heard all that had been said in the kitchen and whilst he believed Scott definitely had a point about the consequences, he clearly wasn't focusing on how they would sort the situation out and instead was fretting over what could happen to International Rescue. Alan had thought about confronting Scott, but decided he wasn't brave enough to do so.

Scott entered the lounge and headed over to Jeff's desk. Jeff frowned when he saw him. "Scott."

"Dad," Scott said. "I trust you have disciplined Alan accordingly? I am more than ready to take charge of Thunderbird 3 whenever that may be required."

Jeff didn't answer for a moment as he was busy with some paperwork. "I take it you're assuming that I have grounded Alan as a result of today's events?"

"Not assuming, Dad," Scott replied. "Just stating the obvious."

"Well I'll say this here and now," said Jeff. "I don't like this attitude you've developed, Scott. I've always seen you as level-headed. Calm and quick to make decisions in dangerous situations. And no, I haven't grounded Alan. Just giving him some time off to recuperate."

Scott stared at his father in disbelief. "I'm sorry, you're not disciplining him? Why?"

"Why should I?" Jeff asked. "Alan's made a mess of things, yes. He knows that. He's not denying it. I also know that. You know that. I also know how incredibly guilty he is about it and broke down sobbing in my arms. I cannot punish someone who has owned up to their mistakes, Scott."

"Yes you can!" Scott exclaimed. "Alan's actions could spell the end of International Rescue if that crook dies from his injuries!"

"He's not, Scott," said Jeff. "I had a call from Colonel Casey just before you came in. "Schultz is alive and is stable. He's lost both his legs and despite the protests of his attorney, he will be tried and punished for what he did to the people of Spoke City. Isn't that satisfactory for you?"

"NO, IT'S NOT!" Scott exploded in a sudden rage. "REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HE LIVES OR NOT, THE MEDIA WILL STILL BRAND US AS THE BAD GUYS IN THIS AND-"

"AND IT'S LUCKY FOR YOU THAT I AM PREPARED TO OVERLOOK THIS OUTBURST!" Jeff thundered, cutting Scott off. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

"What's that got to do with-"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Scott sighed. "I can't remember, Dad."

Jeff gave his eldest son a hard, stern look. "It would seem to me that you've got the same problems as Alan. you've been overworking. You're tired. You've not been sleeping and that's affecting your judgment. I must therefore insist you do the same as what I've told Alan to do. Go take a shower. He's probably finished by now. Then have a long sleep. You know what tomorrow is and I'm not having this family divided on such a day. I also want you to think long and hard about your attitude towards Alan and I expect you to apologise to him as soon as you're both up. Alan needs our support, not our ridicule. This mess will be sorted out. I can promise you that. Now get out of my sight!"

Scott gave a defeated sigh and turned to leave. "Yes, Dad," he said.

Jeff waited until Scott was halfway out of the lounge before calling out to him. "You were expecting me to be ashamed, Scott? Well you're right about that. I am very ashamed. Of you!"

Those words hit Scott hard in the chest. For the first time that day, he suddenly realised just how despicable his behaviour had been. He left the lounge without another word.

Alan had forgotten about having a shower and had hurried off to his room after hearing Jeff telling Scott to go and take one. As he sat on the windowsill, looking out over the setting sun, he heard the sound of Scott coming up the stairs. He waited with bated breath, hoping Scott wouldn't come knocking. He really didn't want to see him right now. Feeling sad and bitter, Alan climbed down from the windowsill after waiting for Scott's footsteps to fade away and got into bed for the first time in a very long time. He immediately found the bed very cosy and welcoming and it distracted him momentarily. Tiredness soon got the better of him and he drifted off to sleep. But as he drifted off to sleep, little did Alan know how strange things were about to become.

***Dream Sequence Commences***