THUNDERBIRD 3 was brought down to land in an area between two tall peaks. It was narrow and Alan had to use all his skills as a pilot to make sure he didn't make contact with the peaks, but he managed it. It was located roughly two miles away from Colony-1 but that was deliberate. If there were hostiles inside the complex, they couldn't risk Thunderbird 3 becoming an easy target.

"Okay, we're down," said Alan. "What now?"

"Now we move in on the ground," said Jeff. "Or maybe just above it."

"Kayo, configure the Dragonfly-Pod. You and I will take it. The rest of you have your own flying means."

Leaving Thunderbird 3 concealed as best as possible, the team headed out towards the Colony. Alan was on his Astroboard. Scott had his jetpack. John used his EXO-Suit and Kayo and Jeff brought up the rear in the Pod. They kept low and behind as many rocks as possible as a means to keep out of sight of the complex. Sure it looked as though someone had fired the laser to stop the missile, but that didn't mean there couldn't still be enemies inside.

Using a long, craggy rock as cover, Scott, John and then Alan peaked over the top and down at the complex. It looked sinister with nobody around. Like an abandoned mining town.

"How are we doing this?" John asked.

"One by one or as one?" added Alan.

"Dad?" Scott asked.

"Go as one," answered Jeff. "But stay as low to the ground as you can."

"F-A-B," the three brothers said before breaking cover and setting off towards the colony.

Once they'd reached the outer door of an airlock, Kayo brought the Dragonfly over as well. All the while, they expected something to happen. Defences to open fire or something. They were therefore surprised when they got there without any incident.

Brains watched a holographic screen with a heavy heart at the sight of the smouldering Army Tank and the remains of other things around it. The footage came from drones that had been sent into England to monitor the Rock Snake situation. Due to their small size, they didn't seem to disturb the snakes.

"Once again, the brave people of England left behind who chose to stand up to these monstrous creatures have been dealt a heavy blow," a female reporter's voice was saying. "At least twelve brave men in this little division destroyed a solitary Rock Snake, only for up to a dozen more to appear out of nowhere in its place. How they are able to reproduce, nobody seems to know. But for those still alive in England, I sure hope a solution is found."

Brains turned the screen off and sighed loudly. "This c-can't go on," he said with determination. "I will n-not allow it!"

Brains swiftly made his way to the lounge where Virgil and Grandma were talking. "M-Mrs Tracy. I need to speak with the World President. It is of the utmost importance!"

"He's a busy man, Brains," Grandma began.

"I don't c-care!" Brains said sharply, taking them by surprise. "The suffering in England m-must end! I n-need to speak with him! Please," he added.

Grandma and Virgil looked at each other. "I'll try and get him on the line," said Grandma. "Could you get me a coffee, Virgil?"

"Sure, Grandma," Virgil said, walking away from the desk. "You want one, Brains."

"N-Not at the moment, thank you, Virgil," Brains answered without taking his eyes off Grandma.

Confused by Brains's sudden sharp attitude, Virgil went downstairs to make Grandma's coffee. Gordon was down there, keeping to himself. When he saw Virgil come in, he decided to try and talk. "Was that Brains I heard up there making demands?" he asked.

Virgil, tired of being mad at his brother, decided not to get gruff with him. "Yeah, you did," he said. "He's asking to talk to The World President."

"What about?"

"He didn't say. But…I have a feeling it may have something to do with a theory he's been working on."

"Why would he need approval from The World President though?" asked Gordon.

Virgil rubbed his chin. "He said 'The suffering in England must end'. It must have something to do with the Rock Snakes."

Gordon got up from the table. "If he's going to ask for an expedition to enter England, then I'm in," he said. "I need to put things right, Virgil. You get what I mean?"

"You sure that's all you want to do?" Virgil asked.

Gordon didn't answer. He knew what Virgil was referring to.

Virgil walked up and placed a hand on his brother's left shoulder. "I believe she's still out there, Gordon. She's strong. And we will find her in the end. Trust me."

For the first time in a long time, Gordon managed a smile. "Thanks, bro," he said gratefully.

They then heard Brains's voice talking upstairs.

"Sounds like he was successful?" said Gordon.

"Let's go find out," Virgil replied.

They headed back upstairs with Grandma's coffee to find The Mechanic standing at the edge of the lounge whilst Brains was addressing the hologram of The World President that was projected out from the table.

"It's a terrible business, Mr Hackenbacker," The World President was saying. "I fully agree with what you are saying. Something needs to be done to end the suffering that's going on in England. I just wish my eggheads would come up with an answer."

"That's why I w-wanted to talk to you, Mr World President," said Brains. "I have a th-theory about how the Rock Snakes are reproducing. But I would r-rather have proof of it before addressing your staff about it."

"I see…" said The World President. "What kind of proof do you need?"

"I know you declared the UK a n-no fly zone, Mr World President," Brains said, "but in order to get this proof, I will n-need to conduct an experiment or two. But they can only be done if we're allowed to enter England to carry them."

The World President looked uneasy. "Your guys took a beating from those things if I recall?" he said.

"Damage to Thunderbird 2 was superficial, Mr World President," Virgil cut in. "We were unprepared to deal with them before. This time we'll take double the care we did before."

The World President sat back in his chair, sighed and twiddled his thumbs. Everyone waited anxiously for his answer, and they were afraid it wasn't going to be good. "Very well," he said. "I don't know how you've managed to convince me, but you have. I grant you permission to enter the United Kingdom to carry out your research, Mr Hackenbacker." The others grinned with relief. "But…" he added, making them tense again. "I will insist on two things."

"Of c-course," said Brains. "What are they?"

"One - a member of the GDF accompanies you in case you run into difficulty," said The World President. "And two - if things go South, you people get the hell out of there! Is that clear?"

"Quite clear, M-Mr World President," said Brains. "And thank you."

The World President gave a small nod. "I'll make contact with the GDF and have them arrange someone to accompany you. Good luck."

As the hologram switched off, Brains breathed a sigh of relief. "Woo," he said, mopping his forehead. "I was c-certain he would refuse."

"I thought for a moment he was going to as well," said Virgil. "When do we leave?"

"I'll n-need at least an hour to get what I need together before we can launch, Virgil," said Brains.

"I'll fix you up with a meal," said Grandma. "You'll need all the energy you can get."

"Does that include me?" asked Gordon anxiously.

Grandma gave him a look.

"He's coming with us, Grandma," said Virgil before she could protest.

"Yes, he'll be needed," said Brains. "Seeing as Thunderbird 4 is a p-part of what my plan involves."

"Hmmm, okay," said Grandma. "Just this once, Gordon, I'll sort you out with a meal. But afterwards, you're still doing your own until I can trust you again."

Gordon nodded sheepishly without answering as Grandma headed off to the kitchen. I wish Dad would hurry home so I could apologise to him, he thought sadly.

After passing through the airlock, Jeff got them to check their stun-weapons and to make it cautious. "Three routes," he said. "Alan and I will go left. John and Scott, take the right. Kayo, you take the middle."

"F-A-B," said Kayo.

"By yourself, Kayo?" asked Scott anxiously.

"I have something you don't, Scott," she replied. She pushed a button on her suit and she disappeared.

"Oh, yeah…camouflage," Scott said. "Wish we had that."

"They're in black-mode," John said. "That should suffice."

"Cut the chatter," said Jeff. "Let's move. And watch your steps!"

Without another word, the team split up. Kayo was already well underway whilst Jeff and the brothers went their separate ways.

They walked down numerous corridors and checked every room. John had gotten EOS to find all the codes that opened the doors so they had no problem accessing any.

"I don't like this," Scott said after a while. "It's too quiet. I'm feeling uneasy."

"You and me both, big brother," John replied. "I always imagined this place as being a hive of activity. It's so dead."

A sudden sound made both of them stop and dive into doorways on opposite sides of the corridor. "Did you hear that?" asked Scott in a low voice.

John nodded. "Yeah, I did," he whispered back. He then spoke quietly into his helmet radio. "Dad, Alan, Kayo. there's movement on our side of the base. Not sure what it is yet."

"Yeah, same here," Jeff answered. "We're taking cover inside a storage room. Someone's out there and they appear to be searching. Kayo?"

Kayo, who was invisible on the ceiling of where she was, had found something interesting. "I have a visual on who we're dealing with," she said. "Looks like a small army."

"From Earth?" asked Alan.

"Not sure," Kayo answered. "I don't recognise the suits though. Their faces are fully concealed. I can't hear what they're saying either."

Alan and Jeff suddenly tensed up as the door to the room they were hiding in opened. Two figures in mostly black but with some parts purple entered with very sinister-looking weapons in their hands. They started talking in a strange language. Neither could make out what was being said, but Alan couldn't help a strange feeling that something sounded familiar. There was a similar niggle to the suits. He couldn't think what, but there was definitely something.

The two figures came dangerously close to where they were hiding. They spoke again. It was almost like they were preparing an ambush, like they knew they were there. Both father and son got their own weapons ready.

In a flash, one of the figures grabbed a crate and effortlessly threw it aside to reveal them. Instantly, Jeff fired a couple of shots, but the blasts had no effect on the mysterious people's suits. The one who'd moved the crate tried to grab his weapon whilst Alan fired at the other. Again, no effect.

"ALAN, MOVE!" bellowed Jeff as they sprinted off in opposite directions. The figures split up as well, firing their weapons which emitted a deadly blue laser from each.

Hearing the cries, John and Scott went to go and help, only to find themselves getting shot at by more of the strange figures who had been lying in wait for them.

Even though she was invisible, Kayo knew there were too many here for her to take on alone so she scampered away back down the corridor. She was startled when lasers began shooting at her. "What?! But I'm invisible!" she exclaimed.

Clearly her stealth tech didn't work on whoever these people were. She heard shouts from behind and saw a group of five running after her. She jumped, ducked and flipped to avoid getting hit. Even with her special suit, she wasn't sure if it could take these kinds of weapons. She then noticed a fire-extinguisher and grabbed it, throwing it out into the path of the attackers. One laser struck it and it burst, releasing a cloud of gas which engulfed her pursuers. The barrel itself rolled along the floor and the leading one tripped up, falling flat to the ground whilst the others in turn tripped up over them.

Kayo encountered the fleeing Scott and John and deactivated her stealth so they could see her. "They after you, too?" she asked.

"Yeah, can you use your stealth to take them out?" asked Scott.

"No, it doesn't work on them!"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Scott.

"GUYS, LOOK OUT!" yelled John, throwing himself forwards to knock them down as a barrage of lasers flew over them. Looking back, they saw around three of the strangers running towards them whilst the five that had been chasing Kayo now emerged having recovered from their fall.

"Knock us down so they can catch us! Great idea, John!" fumed Scott.

Before John could reply, something whirred above them. A hatch in the ceiling opened and a pair of dual laser-guns appeared. They sent out long beams of red which sliced through the attackers who seemed to screech in pain before vaporising into nothing. Some tried to shoot at the cannons but they were swiftly taken out as well.

Scott, John and Kayo looked at each other in confusion. Yes, there definitely were hostiles inside the complex and it had to have been them who'd launched the missile at Thunderbird 3. But clearly there was someone else here who wasn't out to destroy them.

Alan had managed to evade his pursuer up until this point. He managed to use his laser to shoot out some lights but it did little to slow the attacker. He narrowly avoided getting hit by one that narrowly missed his knee. "Jeez - that was too close!" But he lost concentration and tripped over a box. He fell flat on his face and by the time he'd rolled over, he found the pursuer right above him, aiming its weapon at him.

Jeff saw this and was horrified. "ALAN!" he bellowed and tried to go and help but his own pursuer appeared in front and struck his helmet with the butt of its weapon. Jeff now stumbled and fell whilst the stranger got ready to finish him off.

The one above Alan was about to shoot when it paused and bent down slightly to look at him more closely. Then it recoiled and began screeching in the strange language. It pointed at him urgently which caused the one about to kill Jeff to turn around. Jeff saw the chance and swung his leg around, tripping the stranger up and it fell to the ground, dropping its weapon. Jeff managed to grab the weapon and now had control. "Pardon me for this," he said, shooting it in the leg. It screeched loudly.

The one over Alan realised its partner was down and aimed its weapon at Jeff. This allowed Alan to get the drop on it. He jumped up onto its back. "NOBODY SHOOTS AT MY DAD!" he yelled, causing it to stumble around and drive it into a wall. It rebounded off the wall and Alan jumped off as it fell to the floor. It dropped its weapon and he managed to grab it before throwing it as far away from them as it could. The attacker then grabbed his leg and pulled him to the ground. It picked itself and tried to grab him again. But before it could, a loud BANG was heard as something punched through the wall. Alan watched in surprise as what looked to be a big, chunky robotic arm grabbed the attacker and yanked it through the wall. They heard it scream before the sound of a laser was heard. And then there was silence.

Jeff reached his youngest son. "ALAN! Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I think so," Alan replied as Jeff helped him up.

John, Scott and Kayo then hurried into the storage room. "DAD!"

"ALAN!"

"MR TRACY!"

"It's okay! We're okay!" Jeff reassured them. "Where are the ones after you?"

"Dead if you can believe it?" said Scott.

"Some lasers came out of the ceiling and vaporised them," added John.

"Then there is someone else here," said Jeff.

"Damn right there is," said Alan. "It just punched through that wall and took the one about to kill me."

The others looked at the big hole in the wall that led into another corridor. Kayo peered through and looked around. "It's clear," she said.

They then heard the groans of the one remaining mystery figure who Jeff had disabled. It was struggling to get up by using the crates as leverage. It looked over at them all, and then surprisingly spoke in English. "Earth…men…die!" it said with what sounded like a snake-like hiss in its voice which was slightly disturbed under the helmet. "Especially…you!" it added, pointing at Alan. Then it collapsed back to the floor, losing its ability to stand.

The others all looked at each other, confused. "What was that about?" asked John.

"I dunno," Alan replied. "But the one that was attacking me hesitated and then started shouting something about me."

Kayo walked over to the injured figure. She put her foot on its chest and pushed down, causing it to struggle even more. "Someone remove that helmet," she said. "I want to see your face."

Scott came over whilst the others stood nearby and watched. The figure tried to reach up, first to try and get Kayo's leg off and then at Scott as he reached for the helmet. All the while it was making weird angry snarling noises. "Okay, Buster," said Scott. "Show us your secret." He managed to find the clip that opened the helmet and then carefully pulled it off.

Everyone recoiled in alarm at the sight of what was underneath. The figure had a green reptilian-like face with curved sections above and behind its head. Its vicious eyes darted between them all and its teeth seemed to grind in frustration at having been caught.

"Oh, my God!" gasped Kayo. "It's a Subterrain!"

Penelope lost track of time. The snow was getting heavier. She had to drive slowly and carefully. She'd made it most of the way across Kent and had hoped perhaps she could have gotten into London by now. But it was starting to get dark again and she didn't wish to be out in the snow at night. She had to find shelter. As luck would have it, she came across another farm on the left side of the road. Looking across at the farmhouse up the lane, she saw a light was on. Maybe someone can put me up for the night, she thought to herself and drove the Land Rover up the lane to the farm. The road was icy and the vehicle struggled to get up the hill. Oh, my. Going back down will be a challenge, she thought. Soon she reached the top and turned right into the farmyard. A large shed housed a big John Deere Tractor and some trailers. There was an empty space where she could put the Land Rover, however she stopped outside the house. "Better ask permission first," she said. She climbed out of the Land Rover and walked up to the front door. Even though the light was on, it looked dim. She knocked at the door and waited.

Penelope jumped as a dog started barking on the other side of the door. She heard claws scrabbling on the other side. She waited and waited. The dog kept barking, but nobody came to answer. She walked round to the window and peered inside. She was looking into the living room, and could just make out the figure of a man in what looked to be his mid-to-late seventies sitting in an armchair. He was completely still, not moving. His head was slumped to one side and it didn't look like his chest was moving.

"AARGH!" exclaimed Penelope, jumping again as the dog suddenly appeared at the window on the inside. She stumbled and fell back. The dog kept barking for a few seconds and then went quiet. Getting over the shock, she picked herself up and looked back in. the dog had gone, but then she heard the barking again. This time it sounded like it was coming from around the back of the house. As she went to look, the dog came bounding round and jumped up at her, resting its paws on her coat. "Woah, hello!" said Penelope, managing the first laugh she'd had in a long time. "Aren't you an excitable one?"

The dog, which was a quite large Border-Collie, seemed more pleased to see her rather than trying to warn her off. It then hurried around the back and Penelope followed. She realised that there must either be an open door or window that it had managed to get out through. It turned out to be a door and she followed the dog inside. They walked through a utility room and then a kitchen before entering the living room. The dog then sat in front of the man in the chair and began whimpering.

Penelope looked at the man. His skin was pale and as she suspected, he wasn't breathing. "You poor thing," Penelope said to the dog. "Lost your master?"

The dog whimpered in response.

Penelope bent down to stroke and comfort it. "There, there, I'm here now," she said. "Do you have a name?" She felt around its neck for a collar. It had one and she hoped there'd be a tag with a name on it. As it turned out, it did. "Potts?" she said. "Good boy, Potts."

Potts seemed to warm up to Penelope rather quickly. He nuzzled her with his nose and started licking her face.

Then came a meow. Penelope blinked and looked across the room at the door that led to the front door. A rather shabby Tabby Cat waddled in. It looked unstable on its paws and a little thin. It didn't look as though it had eaten anything in a while. The cat meowed again as it came over to Penelope and Potts. Potts didn't growl or say anything to it as Penelope reached out to stroke.

"Oh, my. Do you live here as well?" she asked the cat.

The cat gave a soft meow and rubbed itself against her legs. She ran her hand along its back and it instantly started purring. Unlike Potts it didn't have a collar, but a quick check of a certain area allowed Penelope to realise it was female.

"You don't look as well looked after as Potts here does," Penelope said, picking the cat up and holding it for a few moments. "Guess I'll have to think of a name for you. But I think first things first, I must close that back door and find you both some food."

Gordon and Virgil waited with Grandma until Brains called in. "Okay, everything is l-loaded into Thunderbird 2," he reported. "We are r-ready to go."

"F-A-B, Brains," said Virgil. "We'll be right down."

"Good luck," said Grandma as the brothers headed off in opposite directions. "And, Gordon! Do as you're told out there!"

Gordon grimaced but remained silent as he disappeared from view to enter his express elevator.

"Grandma?"

Grandma turned towards the rocket painting. "Yes, Virgil?"

"No offence," Virgil said with a tone of irritation in his voice, "but for Pete's sake leave him alone!"

Grandma was stunned into silence as the rocket painting tilted back to take Virgil down to Thunderbird 2.

Gordon had heard what Virgil had said to her and he felt his heart flutter. "Thanks, bro," he said to himself as his elevator began to descend.

Arriving in Thunderbird 2 having been put into his uniform on the way down, Virgil took his position in the pilot seat and selected Module 4. Once it had been moved into place, the main body was lowered down onto it. Gordon and Brains, also suited up, now arrived in the cockpit before the great green goliath began to taxi out of the hangar and along the runway with the palm trees folding back to let it pass. It hummed as it moved along to the launch ramp which rose into place once in position. The wings folded out and the blast shield was lifted into place behind.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

Thunderbird 2's engines both roared as it soared up off the ramp and climbed away from Tracy Island before setting course for the United States of America.

"Thunderbirds are GO!" said Virgil.

Once levelled out, Brains got up from his seat. "I n-need to double check some pieces of equipment," he said. "I won't be l-long."

"Take all the time you need, Brains," said Virgil.

"You need a hand, Brains?" asked Gordon.

"Uh, n-no, thank you, Gordon," said Brains politely. "It s-shouldn't take me more than ten minutes to do." He then left the cockpit leaving the brothers alone.

After a few moments of silence, Gordon spoke up. "Hey, Virg?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"For what you said to Grandma back there."

"Ohhh," Virgil said, not realising Gordon had heard him. "Well…what are brothers for, right?"

Gordon smiled lovingly at his brother.

Using cable found in one of the nearby crates, Kayo had been able to bind the captured Subterrain whereupon it could now be interrogated. "Okay, time to talk," she said. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The Subterrain hissed like an angry snake. It didn't speak.

"We know what you are," said Jeff. "You're the last one here. None of your comrades will help you."

"You speak like you've won, Earthman," snarled the Subterrain. "You are wrong."

Kayo pushed her foot against the alien's torso and pressed it against the wall. "Don't make us ask you again," she said dangerously. "Why are your kind on Mars? Why send cylinders of Rock Snakes to Earth?"

The Subterrain hissed again. Then its reptilian eyes looked over at Alan who was peering at it from behind Scott and John. "Ask him," it hissed fiercely.

"You leave him out of this," snapped Scott. "He's done nothing to you."

The Subterrain snarled loudly and shifted to try and free itself. "YOU DARE INSULT ME, EARTHMAN?!" it roared furiously. "HE TOOK OUR GREAT LEADER FROM US AND IMPRISONED HIM ON YOUR PLANET!"

"After your people tried to kill him, Kayo and fire a planetomic missile at our planet to kill us all?" said Jeff. He walked forwards and bent down close to the Subterrain. "Do you seriously mean to say that all of this is because my son took your leader from your planet?"

The Subterrain looked at him coldly. "Your people setting eyes on our planet in itself is a crime," it said in a low voice. "But to take our leader from us…that's an atrocity! One that cannot go unpunished!"

Alan gulped. He slunk away and slipped out into the corridor. He felt sick inside and wanted to throw up. His mind began racing back to when he and Kayo had flown out to Planet-46 to offer a means of peace to the Subterrains after they had destroyed the ship that had killed Sophie's sister. He remembered them being captured by them, and Kayo being launched into space aboard the missile that was to destroy the Earth. He remembered how he had taken the Subterrains in the control room by surprise and escaped, taking the leader with him and later rescuing Kayo before destroying the missile. Never in a million years did he think that they would launch a mission of revenge on such a scale as this. Clearly this was aimed at the people of Earth just as much as it was to him. He sank to the floor, quivering as guilt flooded through his body.

Kayo took her foot off the Subterrain. "Your as bad as The Cabal," she said. "Worse even I'd say."

"Am I supposed to know what a Cabal is?" sneered the Subterrain.

"No, you're not," said Kayo. "I'm just stating an honest truth."

Scott then spoke up. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"What others?" asked the Subterrain.

"The people who populated this complex," said Scott. "They're not here. What did you do with them?"

The Subterrain, sensing a chance to taunt its captors, began to smirk sinisterly.

"You better not have killed them all," said John dangerously.

"Not all of them," said the Subterrain, which made them all seethe with anger.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" bellowed Jeff.

But before the Subterrain could respond, there came a crash as a metallic hand crashed through the wall and grabbed the Subterrain before pulling it backwards, partially demolishing the wall as it went and dragging it out of sight. Kayo darted through after it into a neighbouring corridor and was just in time to see the Subterrain get blasted by a powerful energy that emitted from the hand of what appeared to be either a robot or a mechanised suit. It was about seven-feet tall, grey all over and had round glowing white lights for eyes. It also looked to have been constructed out of whatever pieces of equipment were available to use. It looked up at Kayo just as Jeff, Scott and then John pushed their way through. They all looked down at the Subterrain which was now lying dead on the ground having been killed by the blaster.

Alan, who had been round the corner, heard everything that had happened and ran around the corner to join them. "Woah…" he gasped when he saw the strange robot-like thing.

Jeff was about to yell at it for killing their prisoner, but before he could, they were all surprised when a familiar voice came out of the speaker where its mouth was.

"About damn time y'all got here!"

"Lee?!" exclaimed Jeff.

"Captain Taylor?!" gasped Kayo and the brothers in unison.

"Yep! That's me!" said Taylor's voice. "Follow Iron Monger. He'll lead you right to me."

"Iron Monger?" repeated John as the robot suit turned and started walking away.

Jeff and the others exchanged looks and then followed. Jeff took one last look at the dead Subterrain. He was mad at not having finished interrogating it, but perhaps Taylor might have the answers?

Thunderbird 2 approached the GDF Headquarters and after obtaining permission to land, touched down on the large concrete landing area where a few Flyers and other aircraft were located.

Virgil and Gordon exited the craft on the elevator and walked forwards to where Colonel Jennings was waiting for them.

"Gentlemen."

"Colonel," said Virgil. "I presume you know why we're here?"

"I am," replied Colonel Jennings. "The World President has informed me of what you're planning. Off the record, I fully support it."

"You do?" said Gordon.

"Yes," said Colonel Jennings. "England is my home, too. And Nicole is out there somewhere."

Gordon and Virgil looked at each other. Hearing the mention of a partner made Gordon think of Penelope and his heart sank.

"Are we getting an aircraft escort?" asked Virgil.

"No, the less aircraft that go in, the less attention you'll draw to yourself," said Colonel Jennings. "But, you do have an escort who'll be on hand to defend you if need be."

"Who is it?" asked Gordon.

Colonel Jennings gave a sly smile, but it was another voice who spoke.

"Come now, boys, do I really need an introduction?"

Virgil and Gordon jumped and turned to find Hayley smiling at them. Virgil's eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"Shall we?" Hayley said, nodding towards Thunderbird 2.

"Let's go," said Virgil eagerly as he and Hayley headed towards the elevator.

Gordon hesitated. All of a sudden, he felt himself being overcome by extreme sadness. But he did his best to hide it as he followed them into Thunderbird 2.

Colonel Jennings watched as Thunderbird 2 lifted off and climbed away into the sky. "Good luck, guys," she said. "I have a feeling you're gonna need it."

Iron Monger led Jeff and the others down three more corridors before they reached the control room in the middle of the complex. After going up in an elevator, the doors opened and the robot led them in. all the windows were sealed off so they couldn't see outside. A lot of the equipment looked smashed up and other parts looked to have been repaired with bodges. For Scott, it was reminding him of when he went to the Moon to rescue Taylor from Shadow-Alpha-One. The sound of opera music could be heard coming from the main control panel. A large black chair was there. As for Taylor himself, they couldn't see him anywhere.

"Lee?" Jeff called out. "Where are you?"

"Right here!" The chair turned around via an electric motor in its base to reveal Captain Taylor himself.

The others gasped when they saw him. He looked nothing like they remembered. Jeff and Alan remembered how ill he'd looked when they'd visited him before. All his hair was gone. His skin was extremely pale and he was very thin.

"My God…" Scott barely managed to whisper the line.

Jeff walked up to his best friend. "Lee…you look…"

"Like hell?" Taylor said before choking a little. "Ugh, excuse me." He picked up an oxygen mask and took some air from it. "Yeah…been feeling like this for some time."

"Your medication," said Jeff. "Have you not been getting it?"

"Not since these critters landed here, no," said Taylor. "Why it must have been August since I last had the treatment."

"August?!" the others all exclaimed.

"How have you survived this long?" Jeff asked.

"I wish I had an answer for that, Jeff," said Taylor. "I've been holding on, that's for sure. Honestly I did not think it'd take you this long to realise something was up."

"First we knew was back in October when we saw green flashes from Mars," said John.

"Ah, yes, the Hyper-Cannon," said Taylor. "When they first arrived and took over, they rounded everyone up and took them away. They didn't bother with me. Realising my condition they didn't think I'd be of any use to them. So they left me behind in the colony to die." He chuckled. "They didn't reckon on me being a fighter and survivor though."

"Where are the others?" asked Kayo.

Taylor brought up a holographic map of Mars. "This is where we are," he said. "And this is where the Hyper-Cannon is. Dr Travers and the other survivors are imprisoned in an underground cavern about five miles to the West of it."

"Other survivors?" said Alan. "You mean?"

"Yeah, Alan," said Taylor sadly. "They killed a few at first to show they meant business. Then whenever I sent Iron Monger to mess with their business, they'd send a group of their kind to look for me. When they failed to find me, they'd take five hostages at a time and murder them in cold blood. They did twenty after I disabled the Hydro-Cannon. I knew I had to stop shooting them at Earth. But I wonder if it was worth the cost."

"They didn't kill any children, did they?" asked Jeff anxiously.

"No," said Taylor. "I saw all the executions. No children were present."

"But I reckon some kids have lost their parents," said John.

All this was making Alan feel more guilty.

Scott swore under his breath. "We have to do something!" he said. "We can't let the Subterrains rebuild that cannon and launch more Rock Snakes at Earth."

"Rock Snakes?!" said Taylor. "Is that what was in them?"

Jeff nodded grimly. "They landed in England. London's in ruins. A large number of the population tried to evacuate but eventually they had to stop all rescue attempts on the order of the World President."

Taylor growled. "Blast what he orders!" he said. "You should have been allowed to go back in and get people out! I sure as hell would have carried on."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that now, Lee," said Jeff. "Right now, we're here, and we're not leaving until we've fixed this mess."

"And how do we do that?" asked Kayo.

Jeff faced them, a determined look on his face. "I know this is going to sound impossible, even suicidal," he said. "But Scott's right. We have to do something. We will rescue the survivors. We will prevent them from launching any more cylinders to Earth. And…" he paused impressively. "We're gonna kick them off this planet, once and for all!"