Chapter four

Maddie's cries had faded to a soft snuffling with occasional racking breaths. Alan was quietly confident the episode was coming to an end, which was good because he really didn't know what to say to comfort her. John had checked in twice since their initial call, just to check they were alive more than anything as Scott was still some minutes out. Alan had taken an inventory of items on his chest that he'd gathered from the car including a flashlight, hand warmers, two protein bars and the contents of the first aid kit. He'd also painstakingly wedged himself between the two front seats to retrieve a flask of water which typically hadn't been upended when everything else fell out.

Now he was laying on his back once more, straining to hear the sound of familiar jets even though he doubted they'd hear a thing under all this snow. He was trying not to think about how deep they were buried.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where the hell that came from." Maddie coughed heavily before settling back down. "This time of year, it's overwhelming for me as it is…. Christmas, I mean. Its why I took on this race. I needed a distraction."

"It's alright. I understand." He didn't elaborate further, now wasn't the time to tell her how his mother and grandfather had died. "But are you calling me a distraction? Because I can't decide if that's a complimentary or derogatory on my behalf."

She snorted a laugh despite the situation, giving him a half-hearted side eye. "I meant the experience. I don't really…. Well, that's to say I don't really have a family to go home to for Christmas." She fiddled with the edge of the blanket awkwardly, seeing the pity in his eyes she added hastily "Please don't feel sorry for me. Its just one of those things. I was always fostered but never adopted. I've spent many Christmases alone till I met Penny who always made sure I was welcomed as part of the family. Then she had her own baby and well… I didn't want to intrude on their first Christmas together. So, when Matt called me…... I jumped at the offer and here I am." She glanced around the car carcass that was slowly starting to feel like a coffin. She swallowed, coughing once more as her chest tightened again.

Alan didn't say anything. Her life could have so easily been his, if his father hadn't been out that day and his grandma. He couldn't even imagine growing up in that way, he certainly wouldn't have become the man he was today. He looked at her once more, finally understanding her a little better. Like why she didn't want to be helped or the way she rallied against any form of contact and those moments when she seemed closed off.

"Well, I for one am glad you said yes. Don't tell Robbie but you're co-driving is far superior. I wouldn't have got this far without you."

The corners of her eyes crinkled as her iris' sparkled in the gloom. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

They fell into silence once more, Alan fiddling with the zip on the first aid kit wondering where the hell the cavalry was. He glanced at his watch; they'd been buried for around forty minutes now. Scott should be on scene any moment. His job would be to locate them in order to be able to direct Virgil and probably Gordon on where to dig them out. He should imagine his father would be fretting like crazy which would mean micromanaging, which Scott would likely not take too well. It was a shame he didn't have access to the comms, he suspected it could be quite amusing. An ominous creaking promptly ceased his musings as the front windscreen cracked like lightening across a dark sky.

"What was that?" Maddie raised her head to look, causing Alan to gently hover a restraining hand above her chest. She started to cough again.

"Nothing, just a little bit of settlement. It's nothing to worry about. Say do you need a drink?"

"No, I think it's just the dry air you know? Let's talk about something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, something that doesn't involve me overthinking this situation." She closed her eyes trying to ground herself, the enclosed space was only becoming more oppressive, and she couldn't tell if the light was dimming or if it was just her imagination. She didn't want to think about the light going out. At least she wasn't alone, and Alan seemed very steadfast which was good. She needed some stability right now.

"Okay. Tell me a little more about you."

"Tracy; we're not talking about me. Tell me about your Christmas traditions. What do you guys do every year? It must be pretty boring on that island."

Alan rolled his eyes. If he had a dollar for every time, he'd been asked that he'd be as rich as his father. At least she was calming down though. "It's not that boring. At Christmas we usually all help decorate the villa from top to bottom. I like to hang the garlands; I don't go near the tree. Scott's especially pedantic with how it should look. I used to decorate it as a child, but you could see it killed him inside and the next morning things would often be arranged to be much more symmetrical. Although…... he has finally moved out with his wife so I might very well take up tree decorating again." His face lit up at the prospect with a wide smile. "We usually all open our presents in the morning -waiting's not our strong point and we all absolutely ransack dinner and eat way too much so the afternoon is usually spent falling asleep in front of the telly unless Gordon decides to be a jerk."

"How?"

"Gordon some what fancies himself as a joker. Don't ever walk next to him near the pool, it's a trap for sure. In fact, most things are a trap when he's around. Last Christmas I'd just left the shower and he confetti cannoned me outside the door. Father had to pull us apart over that one."

Maddie laughed; she could well imagine it hadn't gone down well.

"Hello? This is International Rescue."

Alan immediately depressed his comms button on his watch. "This is Alan Tracy receiving you. Please tell us you have an update."

"I do. I've just arrived at what we believe to be your location, but the snowfall is severe. Its going to take us some time to extract you. Thank fully I've been able to boost your signal and triangulate your location to within a five-mile radius. Are you guys still stable? How's the young lady with the head injury?"

"We are for now. There's been some creaking, but the car is mostly intact. The windscreens are a worry. If they impact under the snow, then the compartment we're in will be flooded. Maddie's head's throbbing a little but she's still conscious and responsive."

"Understood. Alright; any problems in the meantime then just call in like before, otherwise keep the line clear."

"F- You've got it buddy." Alan terminated the call whilst internally cursing himself for the slip up. "See I told you they would come."

Maddie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her chest was getting worse. She fumbled her in pocket once more her hand coming back empty. She patted her chest pocket but again it was empty. The damn thing had fallen out somewhere, she desperately tried to think when she last had it. Was it in here or had she lost it at the lodge? With a twinge of panic, she tried to concentrate on focusing on her breathing and remaining calm or she would be in big trouble.

Alan wasn't used to silence. There were always communications relays to tune out, the sound of a throaty car engine or the thrusters on Thunderbird two. As he watched his breath come and go in little puffy clouds, his sharp hearing caught a faint rattle and wheeze. It was so faint Alan suspected he was hearing things until he realised it had a steady cadence. The realisation hit him like a train almost causing him to bolt upright as he scrabbled towards her.

"Maddie! Where's your inhaler?"

Her eyes widened in shock; how did he know? "I don't know. I thought it was in my pocket, but it's dropped out. It could be anywhere."

Alan gave a low curse as he plucked up her wrist, instantly locating her pulse. After a minute he responded. "Pulse rates at 98. Keep doing those exercises for me, I'm going to try and raise you up a bit." He grunted as he shifted alongside her before gently helping her up enough so he could shift one leg across, so she was straddled in between his legs with her back resting against his chest.

"How do you know what to do?"

"Concentrate on what you're doing. Astronaut training requires a good level of first aid knowledge and survival training. Some things stick."

"I'm starting to think….that….you're wasted…on that island."

He chuckled, despite the situation. "Tell me how long you have had asthma?"

"Since I was five…. but it's been dormant….. for a long time and well controlled." The wheezing was less but she was still breathless.

"Hmm probably brought on by the stress." And reduced oxygen levels in here. Alan thought to himself grimly. "Calling International Rescue."

"International Rescue here."

Alan winced as he almost said Scott's name. "You guys are going to have to step on it. I've just discovered Maddie is asthmatic. Her pulse rate's ninety-eight, slight wheeze on inhale and exhale and breathless."

"Chest is tight." Maddie added quietly.

"And a tight chest, she's going to require medical attention sooner rather than later, her inhaler is missing." Alan undid the chin strap on her helmet.

"F.A.B. Thunderbird Two's just arrived. We'll be starting operations immediately."

"Okay."

He ended the call and gently lifted Maddie's helmet off. It was more important for her to be able to breathe as freely as possible. The smell of lilies had him inhaling involuntarily as her hair came undone. He rested back on the heels of his hands once more.

"Thanks." She relaxed a little into his hold. "That's actually better."

"Good. At least they are making a start. Hopefully it won't be too much longer now, and we can get you out of here and sorted." Alan was already formulating a casualty plan, there was no telling how long they could still be stuck here and if her heart rate exceeded one hundred and ten beats a minute then she was going to need blue lighting to the nearest medical centre. He gazed down at the back of her head, his brow creased in worry. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Scott scanned the hill scape with his thermal tomography drones and camera. He'd started at their last known location, then worked his way down steadily scanning regularly but so far there had been no luck. John had managed to pinpoint a rough GPS location from the registered call, but it was still an area of a five-mile radius to cover. Scott just couldn't believe they'd have come this far down the hillside and survived yet he'd just spoken to his brother who was thankfully still alive and kicking.

Scott's comms array flashed with an incoming call. He groaned noticing it was base. He got his father was worried, they all were but his father didn't cope well with not being in control during a family crisis. Sighing he took the call. "Thunderbird One receiving you. Go ahead."

"Son, have you found them?" Jeff asked, gruffly cutting the chaff.

"No father, its not from lack of trying, they're simply buried deeper than initially anticipated. They were lucky to be in that reinforced car."

"Hmm. John says you just spoke to Alan, is he holding up?"

"He has it well in hand, he's uninjured but we've just discovered the girl he's with is a chronic asthmatic mid attack without her inhaler." Scott tilted in the gimbal seat as he rose up the incline once more deciding he must have missed them on the initial sweep.

"That's not good. I'll ask John to alert local air medics, we'll get a doctor out there now."

"Right. Well, I'm going to crack on. I'll be in touch dad as soon as we find him. Don't worry dad, we're prepared this time." He added carefully as he gazed at his father intently.

"I know son. Best of luck out there and stay safe."

"I will."

Scott banked Thunderbird One round once more to restart his search grid. Virgil and Gordon were running preliminary scans with Brains to determine the best way to extract Alan and his co-driver once located. The snowy vista was a sight to behold in the late afternoon sun, the snow seemly glittered with what could have been encrusted diamonds. It was simply stunning unless you held the perverse knowledge that somewhere under that mound of snow your youngest brother was slowly suffocating to death, if not being crushed or succumbing to hypothermia. His hands tightened on the controls as something finally caught his interest. "Say what was that?" Leaning forwards, he zoomed in with his thermal imaging. There they were. Two pale yellow blobs with a fiery orange centre, worryingly the camera highlighted one of the casualties had a very low body temperature.

"Virgil! I've found them at 0.6 kilometre's east. Let's get this operation started."

"That's great news. According to the sensors the slide is currently stable, but Brains is worried that vibrations from the mole could destabilise the area. He's recommended either the excavator or thawing the snow with the thermal ray, depending on their depth."

Scott paused to take stock of his readouts, flicking through the data on the touch screen. "According to my readout they are buried approximately forty feet below."

Virgil cocked his head to one side thoughtfully as he debated the best course of action. He began to adjust the thrusters as he manoeuvred into position alongside Scott at the base of the mountain. "Let's start with the excavator then we'll add in a shield to create a stable shelter above the extraction site and to protect from infill. Then we can use the thermal gun as we draw closer if needed."

"Alright, I'll take the Extractor. Gordon, you concentrate on creating the shield and Virgil, you let us know if those sensors go off."

"F.A.B"

Thunderbird Two lifted steadily on its stilts to reveal the pod. Scott waited to one side, impatient to get in and crack on with the job in hand. The ramp slowly came down, Scott skipping up into the hold before it had a chance to come to a rest on the fresh snowfall. He ran over to the excavator hopping the rungs two at a time before swinging himself into the cab. Gordon waved from the cab of the utility vehicle indicating Scott should lead out.

They rumbled up the hill, the caterpillar tracks making light work of the snow. Eventually they reached the coordinates Scott had plotted earlier. Pushing forward the lever to lower the scoop, Scott got ready to proceed. Hopefully it wouldn't be long now, and they would have them out safely. "Here goes nothing." He muttered.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Alan back was killing him from propping up Maddie for so long and his legs had gone numb some time ago. He wished more than anything that his backside had gone numb as well. The dull ache was driving him to distraction. He tried to shift his weight a bit, but it did little to relieve his woes. The cabin was slowly becoming dimmer as the light finally started to fade and the temperature had dropped enough that he was beginning to shiver.

"Alan…..it's getting….darker." Maddie tried not to wheeze but it was impossible for she was racked with the shivers too.

"Shhh it's alright, even if it goes dark, I'll still be here. G - give me your wrist."

She held it up obligingly, used to the routine by now. The light shut off. "Alan!"

"I know but its fine, we only need to worry if the snow breaches."

Alan felt her heartbeat tick upwards. He swore inwardly, she was now at one hundred and five. Just five more beats a minute and she would need hospitalising. "Maddie, I need you to concentrate on those breathing exercises."

"I am." She replied vehemently.

"Your pulse rate tells me different. Come on focus."

He felt her huff against his chest causing him to shake his head in exasperation. He'd also removed his helmet sometime ago as it was cumbersome. He needed to find some way to keep her calm. If she had a full-blown attack, he would be helpless. He tucked the blanket back over her wrist, tucking it in down her sides once more.

"You know; Christmas was my mother's favourite time of the year. First of December without fail and those decorations would be up. Every year she'd find another musical diorama to add to her collection. It used to drive my father up the wall for there wasn't a surface without one and with five kids - well you can imagine they were always going off. We each had our favourites. Mine was the Christmas wonderland. It was a snowy Christmas fayre with a Ferris wheel that rotated around with colourful carriages that glowed, and there were little figurines on an ice rink. What I loved the most was a little boy that I was convinced was me with my mother in the middle of the scene on a dodgem car that actually moved around in a little circuit. Our father was often away from home when we were young, so my mother used to take me on all the rides. The dodgems were her favourite, she'd dodge and dive, zipping around the circuit laughing away. Every time I look at that diorama, I think of her." Maddie felt the melancholy in the timbre of his voice. She couldn't speak but gently squeezed his hand. He looked down and smiled. Even without words in the dark he could tell she understood.

"She fuelled my love for racing. I suspect your parents nurtured yours?"

Maddie nodded; he could feel the breeze as hair ghosted his chin. The cold was starting to seep into her limbs, her lip quivering from the chill. She felt as if someone had wrapped her lungs with an elastic band, for every long breath she took it only became shallower. The freezing air scratched at the very back of her throat. She coughed and coughed trying to sit up. It was then she realised she could no longer breathe, the whites of her eyes showing wildly as she clutched at her throat.

"Maddie!" Alan scrambled out of his chilled stupor, holding her as she coughed and wheezed. He wrapped his hands over hers as she clawed at her throat, clasping his fingers around hers to stop her leaving welts on the delicate skin of her neck. He used the voice recognition, abandoning all formality. "Help! Maddie can't breathe. Pulse of one hundred and fifteen. If you're going to get us out - it has to be now!" His eyes roved the darkness looking for some miracle that would let her breathe but there was nothing. He could feel how concaved her chest was underneath his hand. "Shhh, Shhh Maddie. I need you to breathe with me, we'll do it together." His hand carded through her hair as he drew her closer to his cheek so he could feel her breath on his skin as an indicator. "Breathe in."

"Alan! Alan just hold on. We're coming."

He felt the tautness of her body start to fall away as the tension left her grip on his arm. She became limp in his arms, her hands slipping from near her throat under his forearms.

"Maddie! Maddie, you need to focus and inhale then exhale. Please! Maddie! No. no..no." He could no longer feel the lukewarm puff of air from her airways. He felt a trickle track across his cheek before rolling off his chin. With a shock he realised it was his own tear. He whispered "Please hurry. I made a promise." International Rescue would save us. He bowed his head pressing his forehead to hers. "I promised."