THE red mist spread out quickly across the hangar and within seconds it had engulfed everyone on the ground level.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Gordon. "VIRGIL, WE GOTTA HELP THEM!" He sprinted for the door.

"GORDON, WAIT! YOUR HELMET!" Virgil bellowed after him.

It was too late, Gordon had gone. Virgil grabbed his helmet and chased after him.

Brains, Grandma and The Mechanic were equally shocked by what they were seeing.

"Oh, m-m-my!" gasped Brains.

Grandma was already heading for the door.

"We have to help them!" said The Mechanic, chasing after her.

Brains was about to follow, but then had a sudden idea. He pushed a button on his console which activated the extractor fans in the roof of the hangar.

By the time Gordon and Virgil had exited Thunderbird 2 they found the fans were already pulling the smoke up away from the floor. But they could hear a horrendous amount of coughing coming from within it.

Gordon tried to rush forwards but Virgil stopped him. "GET OFF, VIRG!"

"YOU WANNA BREATHE THAT STUFF IN AS WELL?!" Virgil shouted. "LET THE SMOKE CLEAR FIRST!"

As it cleared, they saw the figures of Jeff, Alan, John and Scott all lying on the floor or their knees coughing extremely badly whilst Kayo was still pinning The White Ghost on the floor.

Grandma then came rushing in followed by The Mechanic, Brains and MAX. The smoke was now almost cleared by the fans. And it was only now that they could see what effect it was having.

"My God, what's happening to them?!" cried Grandma as they ran over. She went to Jeff whilst Gordon went to Scott, Virgil to John and Brains to Alan whilst The Mechanic went to help Kayo restrain The White Ghost with some unusual-looking cuffs.

"Stay with me, Jefferson!" said Grandma, cradling her son.

Jeff looked up at her, his eyes wide with fear which wasn't something she was used to seeing from him. "M-Mother…why is…everything…red?"

Then Grandma's eyes widened. She cried out in horror as Jeff's skin began to change colour. It was turning red. It was the same with Alan, Scott and John.

"Gor-don…" wheezed Scott. "What's…happening…to me?"

"What's happening to them?!" cried Gordon. "Brains?!"

"I-I-I d-don't know, Gordon!" replied Brains. "I've n-never seen this before."

"I have…"

Everyone turned to look at Virgil.

"Virgil, what are you talking about?" asked Kayo.

Virgil looked very disturbed as he gave the answer. "This is the K-14 virus that The Hood infected me with!"

All eyes then turned to The White Ghost who was now bound hand and foot by The Mechanic's cuffs. She wasn't even attempting to break free.

If anyone was going to try to attack her for this, everyone would have expected Kayo to be the one. But instead it was Grandma who furiously began screaming into her face. "What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BOYS?!"

The Mechanic effortlessly pulled her up and away. "Mrs TRACY! I'll deal with her. You help get them to the Medical Bay. Go!" He then grabbed The White Ghost, picked her up and carried her away over his shoulder, again effortlessly.

Grandma pointed a finger at her. "If they die…"

The White Ghost said nothing. Instead she looked down at the floor, unable to answer.

Virgil, Gordon and Kayo helped Brains and Grandma move Jeff, John, Scott and Alan to the Medical Bay. This was an unsettling sight. None of them could ever remember more than two beds being used at any one time. Now there were four in use. They were continuing to cough as well as become very hot. To them it was like they were on fire but without there being any flames. They felt sick and extremely dehydrated, constantly wanting water to drink. Grandma with Virgil and Brains's help fixed them up to monitoring machines to check their vitals. Their heart-rates were often erratic but not quite near danger levels yet.

"This is insane!" Gordon said to Kayo as they watched from outside. "How could this have happened?!"

"You mean her sneaking inside Thunderbird 2 without you or Virgil knowing?" asked Kayo. "Don't blame yourself, Gordon. White Ghost is sneaky. We all know that."

"Yeah, but, we've not seen or heard from her in months!" said Gordon. "Not since Virgil and Hayley's ordeal I don't think! Why's she suddenly resurfaced and why would she come to us?"

"She's a criminal, Gordon," said Kayo. "She's probably been on a secret mission from The Hood and been tasked to strike us when we least expect it so the rest of The Cabal can come in and finish us off."

Gordon clenched his fists and began to walk away. "Let me get my hands on her," he snarled. "I'll rip her a new-"

"Gordon, where are you going?" Virgil asked over the intercom radio which he spoke through his helmet radio.

"To get some answers from Ghost of course!" said Gordon.

Virgil then exited the Medical Room. "You'll help Grandma and Brains," he said. "Kayo and I will go and talk to Ghost."

"But-"

"No buts, Gordon!" snapped Virgil.

"Gordon, get in here!" ordered Grandma over the intercom.

Gordon punched the wall in frustration and then headed for the door.

"And put your damn helmet on!" Virgil ordered.

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Gordon, slamming the door open as he went.

Virgil sighed infuriated as he took his helmet off. He headed for the Holding Cells which were housed deep inside Tracy Island. "We need to fix this fast," he said to Kayo.

"Agreed," she said. "But how?"

"Ghost will tell us," said Virgil.

They descended to the sub-levels via an express elevator. As they entered the Holding Cell area, they found The Mechanic keeping guard outside the reinforced cell that The White Ghost was in. She was still cuffed and was making no attempt to try and free herself. She looked up as Kayo and Virgil approached. She had a look on her face that neither of them were expecting. It was one of concern. "How are they?" she asked.

Kayo lunged at the glass and slammed her fists on it. "WHAT DO YOU THINK?!" she roared. "THEY'RE DYING BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Me?!" fumed White Ghost. "You're the one who attacked me and caused the vial to smash."

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO BLAME ME!" bellowed Kayo. "HOW DARE YOU EVEN SET FOOT ON OUR ISLAND-"

"Kayo-"

"NO, VIRGIL, I'M NOT DONE!"

"YES, YOU ARE!" Virgil grabbed Kayo and yanked her back. She stared at him with a look of disbelief. But before she could say anything, Virgil then spoke to White Ghost. "You stowed away on my ship. Did you cause that fire in California?"

The White Ghost hung her head. "Yes…I did."

"Why?"

"To get your attention," said The White Ghost. "I…I needed your help."

"Well that's not gonna happen, is it?!" snapped Kayo.

"Let them talk," said The Mechanic.

"Don't you start!" fumed Kayo.

Virgil ignored them. "What with?"

"My condition," said The White Ghost. She looked very glum. "When I joined The Cabal, I was made a promise by Havoc, I mean, Silver Swan, although she was Havoc at the time, that The Hood would fix my condition so I could live a normal life again. But as time went on, and with each setback we suffered, I started to realise that The Hood never intended to keep his promise."

"He never does," said The Mechanic. "He's never cared about anyone other than himself. Believe me, I know what that's like."

The White Ghost looked at him. "You do…don't you," she said. "I was made to believe by my brothers and by The Hood that International Rescue were the bad guys. But…I know now that that isn't true." She then looked at Virgil. "That's why I had to save you and Captain Madison."

Virgil swallowed hard. "That was genuine?" he said. "Not part of some long-term plan by The Cabal for us to make you think you'd betrayed them and escaped only to then strike us when we weren't expecting it?"

"No! I swear!" said The White Ghost, tears now forming in her eyes. "I didn't want this to happen. I have been keeping that sample of K-14 out of their hands to ensure they could do nothing else with it! I wanted to ensure it ended up in some safe hands. So I wanted to give it to you and ask whether someone in your team might be able to help me."

"Didn't Grafton promise to help you as well?" asked Virgil.

The White Ghost nodded. "He did…and then…well, I think you know how that went."

Virgil lowered his head. Then he took a breath. "Three of my brothers and my Dad are infected with the virus. How long do they have?"

"I don't know," said The White Ghost. "We never had a proper test subject. You were the test subject in the eyes of The Hood."

"Do you know whether we can get any of the cure?" Virgil asked.

"Yes, I do," said The White Ghost. "There's a secret laboratory in Arizona. That's where I was sent to get samples of it as well as the virus. I wanted to go and destroy it so that the virus couldn't be used to infect anyone else."

"Then why didn't you?" asked Virgil.

"In case something like this did happen and the cure was required," said The White Ghost.

"Well it did happen, didn't it?" said Kayo with gritted teeth.

Virgil tried his best not to snap at Kayo. He closed his eyes and composed himself. He was about to make the hardest decision of his life, and he wasn't sure if it would be the right one. But he was desperate. It had to be tried. "Laura?"

Kayo and The Mechanic looked at him in surprise. The White Ghost was taken aback as well. "You know my name?"

"Laura McCullen, isn't it?" said Virgil. "You're the sister of the original Black Phantom."

"Aye?"

"You saved the life of me and my fiance back on that iceberg last year," Virgil said. He pushed a button that opened the reinforced glass door.

"Virgil, what are you doing?!" Kayo asked. She tried to grab his arm but he dodged it and walked up close to White Ghost. "If you are really serious about wanting us to help you, you need to prove it to us."

"I will," said The White Ghost. "I swear on my late parents' life, I'll do anything to put this right."

"Then will you-"

"VIRGIL?! KAYO?!" Gordon's panicked voice sent chills down Virgil and Kayo's spines.

Virgil sprinted off towards the elevator followed by Kayo whilst The Mechanic shut the reinforced door again.

Virgil and Kayo returned to the Medical Bay and burst in. They were horrified by what they saw. They were expecting something to have happened to either Jeff, John, Alan or Scott. But they were wrong. Instead it was Gordon, Grandma and Brains. They were the ones now coughing and lying on the floor. Their skin was changing to bright red as well.

"Oh, my God!" Kayo gasped as she and Virgil pulled out three more beds from within the walls and got them into the beds as well.

"I…I don't understand…" Gordon said hoarsely. "We…didn't…breathe…in…the…smoke…"

"Try not to talk," Virgil instructed. He gave his brother some water and after he'd laid down, he gave him a special oxygen and water mask which would give him fresh oxygen and occasional bursts of water to try and keep his throat from burning. "Don't move or talk," Virgil said. "I'm gonna fix this. I promise." He turned to look at everyone who also had masks on. "I'm gonna save all of you."

Kayo came over to him. "What do we do, Virgil?" she asked. "Mrs Tracy was our medic. How can we look after all of them?"

Virgil looked around. He had medical training. They all did. But not to this extent. "This is beyond me, and you, Kayo," he said. "We need help." He thought hard. "I might have an idea," he said. "I need to make a call. Keep your eye on everyone for me, please?"

"Of course," promised Kayo.

Virgil left the Medical Room and hurried up to the lounge. He had come up with a plan, but like what he'd been thinking with The White Ghost, he was slightly questioning himself on whether he was doing the right thing. He had to try though. He reached Jeff's desk and pressed a button. "Please answer," he muttered to himself.

To his relief, the hologram image of Colonel Jennings appeared. "GDF Command. Oh, hello, Tracy. What can I do for you?"

"Colonel Jennings, I'm really sorry to be a pain here, but is Captain Madison available?"

"She's on RR currently-"

"Is she on the base?"

"Yes, she's in her quarters."

"I need her help," Virgil said. "There's no time to explain, Colonel. My whole family is dying and I need her help."

Colonel Jennings blinked. "Dying?! What do you mean?"

"Colonel, please! Time is short! I need Hayley's help," Virgil pleaded.

Colonel Jennings still looked somewhat stunned by what Virgil had said. "I'll get her to call you right away!" she said and signed off.

Virgil got up from the desk and went over to look out of the window. It seemed like he was waiting forever before his personal wrist radio now started beeping and he couldn't answer it quickly enough. "Hayley?"

Hayley's hologram appeared. She looked like she'd just been woken up. "Virgil?" she said. "What's the matter? Colonel Jennings said I needed to call you urgently?"

"The White Ghost is on Tracy Island," Virgil said. "And she had a vial of K-14 on her person."

Hayley was no longer sleepy. "What?!" she gasped. "Has anyone-"

"Everyone except me, Kayo and The Mechanic has been infected," said Virgil.

Hayley's hand flew over her mouth in horror. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"

"I'm gonna need your help to save them," said Virgil.

"Of course," said Hayley. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to bring a doctor here," Virgil said. "One who understands medicine and how to administer cures once we secure it."

"Are you and Kayo going to do that?" asked Hayley.

"With the help of The White Ghost, yes," said Virgil.

"Good. I know she technically saved our lives from The Cabal but best have her watched no matter what," said Hayley. "Even if she is responsible for this."

"Actually I don't believe she intended for this to happen," said Virgil. "She says she wants us to help cure her. But we can't go into that now."

"Agreed," said Hayley who was busy getting her uniform on as she spoke. "So where can I find this doctor that you need?"

Virgil hesitated before he answered. "Well now…this is where it might sound a bit crazy…"

Hayley headed out onto the tarmac on the airfield section of GDF HQ. She approached one of the jets to the confusion of one of the technicians. "Captain Madison. What brings you out here?"

"Is this jet serviceable?" Hayley asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Two seater?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I'm heading out."

The technician was quick to interject. "Captain, this is a two-person aircraft. You need a navigator."

"I need the second seat kept free, Lieutenant," Hayley said as she began to head up the steps to the cockpit.

"Ma'am, I can't allow this!" protested the technician. "Regulations say-"

"Are you questioning an order, Smethwick?"

The technician went pale as he turned around to find Colonel Jennings giving him a hard stare. "C-Colonel!" He saluted. "Captain Madison is-"

"Carrying out an urgent mission," Colonel Jennings cut him off. "Stand aside."

The man had turned from being strong to weak rather quickly. "Y-Yes, ma'ams," he said, saluting both rather badly before scurrying away to check on another aircraft.

Hayley looked down at Colonel Jennings. "Thanks, Colonel."

Colonel Jennings nodded. "Good luck with whatever you need to do, Madison," she said. "Godspeed to you and the Tracy's."

The two women gave each other a salute in mutual respect and once inside, Hayley was off down the runway, taking to the skies to begin her mission.

Virgil walked back to the Medical Bay. He'd been feeling very thirsty and took the opportunity to drink some water from the kitchen. He poured a glass for Kayo as well before making his way back to join her. But as he entered, the first thing that caught his attention was Scott who was trying to sit up and seemed to be pointing down at something on the floor.

"Woah, no, easy there, Scott," Virgil said, hastily putting the glass down and hurrying over to him. "You need to WHOOPS!" He tripped over something and fell flat on his face. He banged his nose but luckily there was no damage. Dazed, he picked himself up and looked around to see what he'd tripped over. He then gave a gasp and his blood ran cold. "No! KAYO!"

Kayo was lying on the floor. She didn't appear to be moving. As Virgil rolled her over, the coldness he felt went beyond freezing when he saw the colour in her face.

"Not you as well!" Virgil cried.

"Vir…gil…" Kayo said hoarsely. "He…lp…"

Virgil wasted no time. He pulled out yet another bed and lifted Kayo onto it before giving her a mask for oxygen and water. He then looked around. John, Alan, Scott, Gordon, Grandma, Jeff, Brains and now Kayo. Everyone was infected. And yet he wasn't. He couldn't have felt more scared. He didn't know what to do.

Hayley's jet touched down on a secluded island located fifty miles outside the entrance to San Francisco Bay. She made her way inside the front entrance of the large building on the island and spoke to the receptionist. She was then asked to wait a few moments whilst she called for Dr Charles.

Hayley didn't need to wait long before Dr Charles emerged through some double-doors that led deeper into the complex along with a blonde-haired man with leather jacket and jeans who had a strong Australian accent.

"As you've seen, George, she has vastly improved. I am very hopeful that she'll be given a clean bill of health and can eventually be returned to you and your family."

The man shook Dr Charles' hand. "I can't thank you enough, Doc," he said. "See you next week." He turned and headed for the main doors whilst Dr Charles began to talk to the receptionist.

The man had almost reached the doors before his eyes locked onto Hayley. He came to a stop and looked at her. She looked back at him. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you International Rescue?" the man asked, walking almost menacingly.

"No, I'm GDF," Hayley replied.

The man stopped. "Oh…sorry. My bad," he said.

Hayley's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Do you know International Rescue?" he asked.

"I've worked with them, yes," said Hayley.

The man looked at her. His face showed signs of contempt. "Then when you next see them, please pass this message on. Tell them they're gonna pay for ruining my sister's life!" And with that he stormed out of through the front doors before Hayley could answer. She wanted to pursue him to find out more, but a voice caught her attention.

"Captain Madison?"

Hayley turned back. "Dr Charles."

"What can I do for you?"

Hayley explained the situation with the International Rescue team and what Virgil had asked her to do. Dr Charles was deeply shocked and even though he said he'd help in any way that he could, he even was a little unsure when Hayley told him what she needed. However, he decided to go through with it regardless and led Hayley through the complex to one of the rooms. Dr Charles knocked on the door and went inside. He spoke to the occupant for a few moments then reappeared at the door.

"You may see her now," Dr Charles said. "Do you need me in there with you?"

"Please," said Hayley. "Seeing me may not be what she wants so I might need your guidance to convince her."

Dr Charles nodded and stepped back to allow Hayley to enter. She looked across the room at the long dark-haired woman who was sitting in a wheelchair. The woman's eyes widened when she saw Hayley and she dropped the book that she'd been holding. She let out a little startled squeak as she did so and the wheelchair moved back about a metre.

Hayley composed herself before speaking. "Hello, Sophie."