10

'I'm not coming with you, end of discussion.' John growled. He kept his eyes forward on the screen. 'John, I didn't come all the way up here to go home without you. You're already two months overdue to return to earth, you're at your limit'. Scott tried to reason. John looked awful! Dark circles under his eyes stood out in stark contrast against his paper white skin, his usual platinum blonde hair hung in a greasy mess obscuring one side of his face. His fingers were tapping at his knee in an agitated manner as he sat staring at the screen in front of him. He hadn't even stood to greet his brothers on arrival he was so fixated. Scott could smell stale coffee in the air from the mugs piled high on the desk. He had to get him out of here, John was in one of his classic workaholic episodes and they all knew how they could pan out. He still hadn't had an answer from John.

'John! Snap out of it will you! I'm trying to talk to you for a minute!' It was hard to keep his temper in check. John needed to listen to him for the sake of his own welfare.

John turned to face Scott fully, his usual charming smile replaced by an angry poker face. 'Scott, I can't leave now ok; I'm too close'.

'Close to what?' Alan and Scott chorused. Alan had been doing a mental stock take in the background; it was good they had brought extra supplies John was living on nothing up here. Come to think of it Alan was convinced his brother had lost weight.

John tapped a few items on the screen bringing up an electronic map with a spider web of green lines. 'I have taken information from our rescue logs, agents, FBI, MI5 -you name it and been searching for links and evidence. I have found enough information to gather that both American and British intelligence services have raised their threat levels to red alert over an impending terrorist attack, for the first time in five years. We have been in action for five years now and initially we helped in several suspect terrorist attacks. We've defused bombs on fire flash, averted nuclear disasters – even the Allerton bridge disaster was never cleared of suspected terrorist involvement. You even got taken down by unidentified fighter jets that still, to this day there have been no records or evidence of. Over that first year there was a reduction in terror related crimes of twenty percent, this year terror related incidents have been at an all-time low with a reduction of forty four percent.' John paused he could tell his brothers were still doubtful. 'I know our primary function was not to stop terrorist attacks but you've got to admit not only are we good at rescuing people we are good at adverting disasters and this may have discouraged some acts of terrorism. Someone has made a lot of effort to take us out and I can't help but think this is the cause but I need solid proof. It's more than coincidence, if I could just trace this transmission….' John returned to the screen. Scott leant on the back of John's chair as Alan stepped closer. 'Can you play the transmission?' Scott wanted to hear this. John tapped a button on the screen. The message came across broken and distorted in places. Two male voices could be clearly heard.

'You lost the submarine though?'

'Hey there talking about four!' Alan interrupted. 'Ssshh' John glared at him.

'Yes that was….unfortunate. It won't happen again'.

'It better not, you have failed me before'.

Static ….

'I am confident that we will succeed. We have failed to take their technology by force but by turning the public against international rescue we will still prevail!'

'We will be proceeding with operation shadow hawk at twenty three hundred hours local time.'

'Excellent, I await your report Agent ..more static.. Over and out'.

'Local time? John this attack is imminent!' Scott exclaimed in shock.

'I know, I've already passed it to the authorities around the world in the hopes we can trace this but to also warn people to prepare for a catastrophe.' John continued trying to track the intermission backwards, it was bouncing everywhere! John smacked the desk in frustration he just lost it again! He marked a point on the map ready to try again. 'Why haven't you told dad?'

'I've kinda been busy Alan' John muttered under his breath. He swore as he lost the trace. Scott spun him around and Alan seriously thought he was going to get punched. Scott crouched in front of John with a pleading gaze. 'Look I know you're desperate to solve this but you're probably not functioning to your highest capacity because you're exhausted. If you promise me you will sleep even just for an hour we will stay and take you back after you've solved it ok?' John thought about it, now he had looked away from the screen he realised how blurry his vision was, he could barely make out Alan's facial features even at this short distance. His throat was tight and dry too. Scott must have noticed him swallow awkwardly as he handed him some water. He took a sip, it must have been the first time he had drank anything in the last twenty-four hours. He wasn't going to tell his brothers that he hadn't been to bed in forty-eight hours. He couldn't argue anymore he was tired, his eyes started to flutter.

'Alan go and open the doors for me'. He nodded and left, Scott gently scooped John up who was now fully relaxed in his arms, eyes closed. Scott carried him through the corridors of five to the sleeping quarters, Alan helping grab John's legs on the last leg when he started to become too heavy for Scott. They laid him down gently, Scott took off his boots and Alan gently drew a blanket over him. They turned the light down and exited quietly apart from the slight whoosh of the door as it slipped into place.

They headed back to the control room. 'You've got no intention of waking him, have you?'

'Nope. Your just as good at tracing as John, fancy a go?'

'Scott if I get it wrong he will kill me.' Alan looked serious.

'Alan don't be so dramatic, I'll take the fall out alright?' Scott winked at Alan. 'It's that or you can update dad.'

'Sold!' Alan sat down in John's still warm seat and began to work. Scott called his father. This was a disaster waiting to happen, he had to convince his Dad to let them back into the field it might be the best distraction tactic they had. If they couldn't find out who the culprit was in time they could use the thunderbirds as a distraction to buy time, this guy wanted the machines more than anything. Scott could tell from the pure resentment in the man's tone on the message.

'Thunderbird 5 to base'

'Good to hear from you son, I was starting to think you got lost'. He smiled.

'Dad, we have a situation.' Scott looked grave.

'Is John..'

'John is suffering from exhaustion but he will be ok I think he's resting now. He's been working really hard and is close to a breakthrough.' Scott kept it brief his Dad didn't need to worry how close John had been to collapsing up here on his own. 'You make sure he comes home, I don't care how close he is. Alan is more than capable.' Jeff frowned in concern.

'Don't worry I have no intention of leaving him here. John has found a worrying correlation….' Scott explained everything that John had been so painstakingly working on and played his father the message. Jeff's face registered with shock at the mention of the submarine and then the impending attack. 'Father there are going to be casualties and people that need our help. You have to let us go back in the field.'

'Scott I'm not sure this is our remit...'

'Dad if you don't let me help I'll join active service again'. Scott was referring to his days as a captain in the air force. He wore a look of resolute determination. There was a gasp from behind Scott as Alan overheard their conversation. Scott ignored him.

'You really feel that way?'

'I do, I left the air force to help people if I can't do that then what's the point? I'm not forcing Gordon or Alan to join me but this is something I feel I have to do. Our family's been hurt too much recently but imagine if we could save other families from this pain.' Jeff sat in silence for a few minutes and absorbed what his eldest was saying; he really was so proud of Scott; of all of them.

'Ok return to base and await orders, Alan needs to continue searching to trace the location of that message, I will see if there is anything Brains can do from this end.'

Jeff was about to cut the link – 'Dad?'

'Yes son.'

'John's going to be pretty angry, I promised I'd let him sleep for an hour and wake him up'.

'Don't worry we'll both try and pacify him when you get back, just don't wake him'.

'F.A.B'

'Are you going to be alright Alan? Promise me you won't get into that state'.

'I promise, you better get going I don't think we have much time.'

'If you need to talk you call me.' Alan stood to pull Scott into a tight embrace.

'Will you let me know how John is and if Virgil improves?'

'Sure thing, see you soon kiddo.'

With that Scott walked out and gently picked John up, he moaned in his sleep and turned his head to rest on Scott's chest. He panicked for a moment worried that he had woken the Lion. Luckily John sighed and tucked in closer to Scott 'Whew'. Scott headed through the airlock to thunderbird 3.