PARKER led Lord Patrick and Jeff across the open grassland of the Creighton-Ward estate in the direction of the stables and farm area. Penelope and Alan followed not far behind, still as confused as before,

"Did you know about this?" Alan whispered to Penelope.

"There's not much my parents haven't told me," Penelope replied. "But this certainly is new to me. I honestly have never heard of a tiger before."

The farmyard area had numerous outbuildings. The stables were the main ones, but there was one old barn that Penelope had never been near. She'd been warned not to as it was old and unusable. As they rounded some trees, the old barn came into view. It certainly looked like it hadn't been touched for years. It looked very run-down and unkept unlike the rest of the buildings on the estate. Bits of the roof were missing and some of the timbers around the sides were missing.

"An eyesore that I should have had sorted out a long time ago," Patrick confessed. "Too many things have gotten in the way though."

"Always the way, Pat," said Jeff.

Parker took them towards the old door. It too had pieces of wood missing although not many. Parker peered through one of the holes. "H'It's still there, m'lord," he said. "Although you may not like 'ow it's looking."

"It's been at least twenty-five years since that door was closed, Parker," replied Patrick. "I'm not at all expecting it to look pristine. Open it up."

"Very good, sir."

Parker put the key in the badly rusted padlock and after some difficulty managed to get it off. He then gave the handle of the door a pull and began to pull it sideways to open it so it ran alongside the front of the barn.

Now the door was open they could now see what was inside. And for Penelope and Alan, it was not at all what they were expecting.

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Penelope.

"Awh, man!" said Jeff, running his fingers through his hair. "Look at her!"

Alan was almost disbelieving. "What…is…that?!" he asked.

Sitting inside the barn, looking almost as dilapidated as well as partly buried by pieces of the roof that had caved in overtime, sat an old-fashioned propeller-driven bi-plane.

Hayley and Amanda stood on a ridge and looked across the vast expanse of ice towards where the Arctic Ocean was on the horizon.

"How deep is the ocean here?" asked Amanda.

"Far too deep," replied Hayley grimly. "If it is down there, it's beyond our reach."

"That's good…isn't it?" Amanda said.

"Colonel Jennings said that we needed to bring all the bombs back," said Hayley. "And besides…if the Berezniks find it…That can't be allowed to happen."

"But, we've got nothing that can reach the seabed," said Amanda. "How can we get it, if it is there?"

Hayley hesitated. She pulled out a special communicator from her utility belt. One that wasn't GDF issued. She felt her stomach tighten itself. She'd been given strict instructions not to, but she couldn't see that there was any other option. She gripped the communicator tightly, closed her eyes and exhaled.

Amanda was concerned. "Hayley? What's wrong?"

Hayley opened her eyes and looked at her, before looking at the communicator again. "Either I'll be praised…or court-marshalled," she said. She pushed the button. "Calling International Rescue? This is Captain Madison. We have a situation."

Hayley's call went straight to Thunderbird 5. He was surprised to once again get a call from Hayley. He did see that it was on the GDF special frequency that Hayley had selected so he knew that this had to be a professional reason. "This is International Rescue," he said. "Go ahead, Captain Madison?"

"Hello, John," said Hayley. "Could really use your help right now."

"Sure," said John. "What is it?"

"I'm within the Arctic Circle locating the cargo of the downed XV-104," said Hayley. "We've recovered three of the four items, but one is missing. We think it's fallen through the ice. I don't suppose you could locate it for us, please?"

"What sort of cargo?" asked John.

Hayley hesitated for a second. "A decommissioned nuclear bomb," she said.

John felt his insides tense up. "Ooh…" he remarked. "Of course. Stand-by. EOS, ran a deep ocean scan of the area underneath where Captain Madison is calling from."

"Commencing deep ocean scan," acknowledged EOS.

John watched the hologram globe in front of him zoom in as a large green scanning ring sent out from Thunderbird 5 reached the vast depths of the Arctic Ocean and spread out scanning for anything metallic.

Several contacts were detected ranging from sunken ships and crashed aircraft from the past, but soon EOS triangulated one contact that was unique to the others. Zooming in closer, John saw the unmistakable shape of a nuclear bomb, sitting upright and leaning against an underwater mountain. "Captain Madison, I can confirm that one of the bombs is indeed under the ocean," he said.

Hayley sighed. "I feared as much," she said.

"That's very deep as well," John observed. "How exactly are you guys going to be able to recover that? None of your craft can go that deep."

"I know," said Hayley. "But…I can't…"

John frowned. "Does Colonel Jennings know you're calling?" he asked.

"N-No…" said Hayley uncomfortably. "She gave me strict orders not to get you boys involved…"

There was a few moments of silence. John looked back at the hologram image of the bomb. Then he noticed the contact further along which was Vostula. "That bomb's within the Bereznik Exclusion Zone," he said. "You wouldn't be able to get it even if you did have a craft capable of reaching that depth. The Vostula Base radar would pick you up."

"Then I guess we'll just have to return and tell Colonel Jennings that," sighed Hayley. She could already imagine the Colonel angrily disciplining her for failing to recover all the bombs.

John thought again. "If the Berezniks find it…" he began. Then he made a decision. "You haven't called us to help. Hayley. All you asked was to know where the bomb was, and that's all you need to do. Leave the rest to us."

Before Hayley could answer, John signed off.

"Do you know International Rescue personally?" Amanda asked.

"Errr, yes," Hayley replied. "I've known them since before I joined the GDF and…"

"And, what?"

Hayley took a deep breath. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

"Of course."

"I'm in a relationship with one of them. Please keep that between us. I don't want Colonel Jennings to know."

Amanda nodded understandingly. "Of course," she promised.

Hayley gave her new friend a grateful smile.

Alan, Penelope and Parker helped Patrick and Jeff to remove what debris they could off of the bi-plane. It was in a very sorry state. A lot of its paintwork had come off leaving a few traces of yellow and red left. Its top wings had snapped and fallen down onto the lower ones. Its propeller blade had also come loose and it was covered in cobwebs.

Penelope went over to her father. "Father, how come I was never told about this?" she asked.

"You weren't?" Patrick asked, surprised. "Oh…my apologies. I thought it was well-known in the family that I used to race?"

"Mother never mentioned it," said Penelope.

Alan then spoke to Jeff. "You never told any of us either," he said.

"I guess I didn't," said Jeff. "A global war, setting up a rescue organisation and being stranded for eight years in deep space can affect one's memory."

"You used to race in this though?" Alan asked, looking at the bi-plane. "What even is this?"

"It's a de-Havilland Tiger-Moth," said Patrick. "It's a former RAF training aircraft. My grandfather purchased one. Then my father owned it, and then it was passed to me. I entered it in the Paris - London Air Race from 2037-2039. First two years I finished eight and fourteenth. The third time, we came first, thanks to its excellent pilot." He looked at Jeff.

"How come you stopped?" asked Penelope. But then she realised. "Oh, wait. Did the Global conflict-"

"Yes," said Patrick sadly. "And the race wasn't reinstated following it."

"Such a shame," said Jeff. "Seeing these vintage planes from all over the world taking part. It was quite a sight, Alan. I wish you and your brothers could have seen it."

Alan looked back at the Tiger-Moth. He wasn't sure if he could agree. He liked fast, modern jets, not slow and antiquated propeller-planes. "Were they all like that?" he asked.

"Vintage? Yes," said Jeff.

"I wish I could have seen it," said Penelope as she looked at how forlorn the old aircraft looked.

"Hopefully you will, my dear," said Patrick. "Because they're bringing it back later this year."

Jeff and Penelope's eyes lit up. "When?!" they asked eagerly.

"Next year," said Patrick. "April time if I read it correctly."

Jeff rubbed his hands gleefully. "Excellent," he said. "Although she's gonna need a lot of work before she can fly again."

"That's why I asked you to come," said Patrick. "I don't know anyone who could undertake such an ambitious restoration. I was hoping you would."

Jeff looked at the bi-plane again. "I'm sure Brains wouldn't say no to the challenge," he said.

Alan stared. "Wait, what? You can't be serious?" he asked. "That thing's never gonna fly again!"

Jeff gave a chuckle. "Have you ever known Brains to fail at a challenge, Alan?" he asked.

Alan had to think about that for a moment. "Well…no…but…"

Jeff turned back to Patrick. "I'll have Thunderbird 2 come and collect it," he said.

Patrick beamed. "Splendid," he said, putting an arm around Penelope. "We'll have the old girl flying again."

"That will be quite h'a sight," agreed Parker.

Alan however, wasn't convinced.

"A ba-?!"

"No, Gordon. A bomb," said John with an annoyed eye-roll. "That's what the XV-104 was carrying when it came down over the Arctic."

"I thought you said Hayley and her team had recovered them?" asked Virgil.

"The plane was carrying four," explained John. "Hayley's team found three of them and the fourth was missing. She asked me to see if it had gone through the ice…and it has."

"Well, that's a GDF problem, isn't it?" said Virgil.

"Strictly speaking, yes," said John. "But they have nothing that can reach the bomb…and it's within the exclusion zone of the Vostula Research Base."

"Vostula?" repeated Virgil. "Isn't that a Bereznik base?"

"It is," said John. "Which is why there's only one craft that can recover that device." He looked at Gordon.

"Bomb retrieval," said Gordon. "Add that to the list of things I never thought I'd do with Thunderbird 4."

Virgil did not look comfortable. "Does Colonel Jennings know about this?" he asked.

"No, and Hayley wants it kept that way," said John. "She only asked me to find the bomb. She's not asking us to retrieve it. That's on me."

"On you?" said Gordon curiously. "That's very unlike you, John."

"Gordon, the thought of a nuclear weapon potentially falling into the hands of a nation like Bereznik could have global catastrophe written all over it if it's left down there. We can't allow the Berezniks to find it."

"Well, when you put it like that," said Virgil. "I guess we do need to do this. I just hope Dad doesn't have a problem with it."

"Well, Dad isn't here, Virgil," Gordon pointed out. "So, I say let's go and do it. The quicker we can get it done, the sooner it'll be over."

Virgil gave a grunt. "Fine," he said. "See you aboard Thunderbird 2."

Virgil hurried over to the rocket painting which tilted back once he was leaning on it. He was soon sliding down the long twisting chute getting his uniform attached as he went. Gordon meanwhile took his express elevator down, getting changed into his own uniform. Virgil reached Thunderbird 2 first and dropped down into the cockpit before closing the hatch above him and then running to his seat to select Module 4 which was brought underneath by the conveyor. The main body was then lowered down on top of it and locked into place. Gordon joined Virgil moments later, adjusting his utility sash before taking his place in the co-pilot seat. The large rock concealing the hangar slid down to allow Thunderbird 2 to taxi out along the runway with the palm trees folding back to let it pass as it went. Once it had reached the ramp it came to a stop and it lifted them into place. The wings folded out and the blast shield lifted into place behind it.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

The twin boosters roared into life and Thunderbird 2 soared off the ramp, breaking the sound barrier and banking away from Tracy Island as it went. "Thunderbirds are GO!" said Virgil.

Kayo had been in bed for quite a few days now. She was confined to the sick room following her breakdown after The Cabal had escaped from Aquatraz and she'd fallen for the deception by their new and yet unidentified member. She'd barely spoken to anyone. Even Jeff and Grandma couldn't get her to open up. They just brought food and drink to her and then left her to brood. Kayo found herself stirring at the sound of Thunderbird 2 leaving the island.

Scott came in with some lunch. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Kayo just answered with a minor grunt.

Scott sighed. That was pretty much the answer she'd given anyone who'd gone in to see her. "Very well," he said, slightly annoyed. He put the tray down beside her and began to walk away. "Whatever was said to you must have hit you hard." He'd only meant for himself to hear it, but he soon realised he hadn't said it quietly enough.

"What was that?" Kayo asked abruptly.

Scott stopped and turned back around. "Hmm. Thought that might get a response," he said.

Kayo glared at him. "What did you mean by that?" she demanded as she sat up.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Scott retorted as he stood at the end of the bed. "We're all worried about you, Kayo."

"Well, don't be!" Kayo snapped. "I'm fine."

"Bullshit!" Scott said, taking Kayo completely by surprise. "You've been here in almost complete silence for four days, Kayo! You are NOT alright! So don't lie to us, saying that you are!"

Kayo, having gotten over Scott swearing, turned angry again. "How dare yo-"

"NO! I'M NOT DONE!" Scott bellowed, cutting her off. "I get why you're upset. The Cabal are on the loose again, and it's not something any of us want. But, you can't go into your shell every time you take a fall! We need you if we're to take them down, Kayo. We can't do it without you." He stopped ranting and sat himself down on the edge of Kayo's bed. "I hate it, Kayo. I hate seeing you like this. It makes me sad."

Kayo was taken aback by this. She was at a complete loss for words. "You…really care about me…don't you?" she said when her voice eventually reappeared.

"What? Of course I do," said Scott. "We all do. You're one of us, Kayo. You're family."

Kayo reacted suddenly at the word 'family'. And then to Scott's surprise, she started to cry. "Oh…" she sniffled as she covered her face with her hands.

Now it was Scott who was surprised. "Hey-hey-hey, what's this?" he asked, coming closer and putting a caring hand on her left arm.

"D-D-Dad...," Kayo said between sobs.

Scott blinked. He'd not heard Kayo mention her father in a very long time. "Kyrano?" he asked. "What about him?"

"Do you know what happened to him?" Kayo asked as she lowered her arms. "I tried to call him to tell him that your Dad had been found safe and well. I…never heard anything back."

Scott was startled. "Why didn't you mention this?" he asked. "Does Dad know you tried?"

Kayo shook her head miserably. "No…"

"Where's this come from?" Scott asked curiously.

Kayo wiped her red eyes. "Uncle subtly mentioned him whilst I was mocking their imprisonment," she said. "I didn't think he'd be able to get to me again. But…he did."

Scott felt so bad seeing Kayo upset. "Hey," he said and took hold of one of her hands. "I'll get Dad to come and speak to you about this. Maybe together you can find out where Kyrano is?"

Kayo looked at Scott's hand holding hers. Part of her wanted to pull it away, but she relented and instead squeezed it back in return. It was a good feeling, and she was starting to feel a little bit better for having had the cry and the talk. "Thank you, Scott," she said as one last tear trickled down her cheek.

Thunderbird 2 was now approaching the Arctic Circle. John was filling Virgil and Gordon in on some final details. "The ice is thick but it may not be stable enough for Thunderbird 2 to land," John was saying. "You'll need to drop Thunderbird 4 off at the edge of the pack-ice. Gordon, there are some strong currents under that ice which are likely what pulled the device away from the main wreck site. You'll need to go carefully. We can't alert the Vostula Base to your presence."

"Aren't you forgetting something, John?" asked Gordon. "Our ships are supposed to be undetectable to radar. They won't even know that I'm there."

Virgil and John exchanged knowing looks.

"You'd better go and get Thunderbird 4 ready," Virgil said. "We'll be arriving soon."

"F-A-B," said Gordon as he left his seat and hurried out of the cockpit.

John waited until Gordon was gone before speaking again. "Is it me or is he getting more cocky?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'getting more', John?" Virgil replied. "He's always been cocky. Why do you think he gets himself into more scrapes than the rest of us? Do you really think Vostula won't notice us?"

"They have some very advanced radar," said John. "If they don't respond to his presence I'll be amazed."

"Make sure you watch the area at all times that he's down there,," said Virgil. "If he needs to run, he has to run."

"Understood," agreed John. "By the way, I'll let Hayley know you're arriving. It'll keep up the professionalism between you."

"F-A-B," said Virgil. He changed frequencies as John signed off. He wanted to talk to Hayley himself, but knowing that she was on duty, it probably would be best if he didn't. He could always catch up with her later, so long as they'd at least get to visually acknowledge each other at some point. "You ready, Thunderbird 4?"

"Just completing my system checks now," Gordon answered over the radio.

"Okay, taking her down now," said Virgil. "Be ready for module deployment."

"F-A-B! Make it a smooth one."

"I'll try not to hit any of the loose ice."

From their position on the ice-ridge, Hayley and Amanda looked through their binoculars. They could see the unmistakable shape of Thunderbird 2 far away on the horizon as it came down low over the ocean. For Amanda, it was the first time seeing a Thunderbird in person. "Wow…what a beauty!" she remarked.

Hayley felt a little tingle of warmth inside her. "She certainly is," she replied. And the pilot's even better, she added to herself.

The downward thrust from Thunderbird 2's four VTOL jets kicked up a lot of spray from the surface of the water as Virgil found an ideal position to drop the module between two pieces of floating broken off ice. He moved a lever and the docking clamps were released, dropping the module down onto the water. Gordon felt the drop and the module sway a little before settling calmly. He watched as the door-ramp opened and the extendable platform that Thunderbird 4 was mounted on lifted upwards into position before extending outwards to the end of the ramp.

"We are go for launch!" said Gordon as he fired up the impellers. Thunderbird 4's engines howled as it pushed itself down the ramp, splashing into the water and submerging instantly. "Thunderbird 4 is away!"

The ice was just as thick under the water as it was on the surface. Gordon had to go right down very deep to the ocean floor before he was able to begin his search. It was very dark so he was glad that Thunderbird 4 had some very powerful lights so he was able to see where he was going. It all seemed very quiet and still. He looked around as he made his way through the underwater mountain range.

"This is Thunderbird 4. I'm now under the ice. Commencing search."

"Understood, Thunderbird 4," said John. He turned to Virgil and Hayley's holograms. "Well, he's on his way."

"Then all we can do is wait," said Hayley.

"And hope," added Virgil. They'd decided to make it a three-way conversation to make it seem as professional as possible.

Thunderbird 4 continued on its way, heading for the designated area given to Gordon by Thunderbird 5. Even though John had confirmed the area of where the bomb was, he'd not been able to pinpoint it exactly due to interference of both the strong underwater currents and the radar signals from Vostula. Strangely, Gordon was not even thinking of the danger that the Bereznik base posed. It might have been better if he had.

For the moment, the controllers of Vostula were oblivious to Thunderbird 4's presence. Commander Reznik-Chan was confident that nothing could have survived the crash after seeing satellite images of the site where the XV-104 had come down and therefore believed that it was no longer their concern. He was adamant however that the radar watch within their ten-mile exclusion zone be kept up at all times.

Boztran and Ervick-Tao were on duty again. They were good friends and often talked when they were on duty to pass the time due to how quiet things usually were.

"Only three weeks to go inside this ice-box and we'll be relieved," said Boztran.

"Da," agreed Ervick-Tao. "It has been very long tour of duty."

"What are you going to do when you get back home?" asked Boztran.

Ervick-Tao gave a chuckle. "I know exactly what I do," he said. "As the British used to say, we'll make a bun in the-"

The two men jumped suddenly as the door to the control room opened to reveal a rather stern-looking Reznik-Chan. "Got nothing to do?" he asked.

"Er, y-yes, Commander," stuttered Boztran.

"Then get on with it!" the Commander growled.

The two men silently went back to work whilst the Commander closed the door and walked away. All of which remained completely oblivious to the small yellow intruder that was entering their restricted area.