"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed Norman as he saw the avalanche getting closer to him.
Mandy quickly noticed somewhere they could take shelter. "QUICK! INTO THE HUT!" she cried before she and Sarah both hurried for the nearby wooden hut.
Norman reached the bottom of the hill and leapt off his toboggan to join them as they entered the hut. But it was only as he was halfway through the door when he suddenly realised he wasn't holding something. "MY CAMERA!" he cried and tried to run back out to get it. But Sarah and Mandy grabbed his arms and pulled him back in, closing the door just as the avalanche hit the hut. The impact sent the toboggans and the dropped camera flying and by the time the avalanche had subsided, the snow had piled up around the hut. "MY MOVIE!"
"At least we're safe in here," said Mandy.
Sarah tried to push open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, no!" she cried. "The door won't open. We're trapped!"
Kayo, Gordon and Alan had been about to have another go at skiing when they heard a rumbling sound.
"Hey, do you hear that?" Gordon asked.
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Alan.
Kayo was the first to spot it and let out a small gasp. "Avalanche, over there!" she said, pointing.
The brothers saw the large snowcloud rising as the avalanche reached its end.
"Woah," said Alan. "Sure hope nobody is down there."
"Wait, that hill starts by the woods!" Gordon realised. "Shouldn't we check on the kids?"
Alan and Kayo looked at each other.
"Yes, we should," Kayo said. "Follow me!" She set off towards the woods on her skis followed by Gordon and then Alan, although Alan continued to be wobbly and slightly not in control of his.
Soon they entered the woods and headed for the small clearing where they'd met the children earlier. Sure enough, they found nobody there.
"They're not here," said Kayo.
"You did tell them to stay in this area, right?" said Gordon.
"Near enough, yes," said Kayo. She switched on the heads-up display inside her helmet and began to look around trying to detect heat signatures from them.
"NORMAN?!" Gordon called out into the trees. "MANDY?! SARAH?!"
"Nothing," said Kayo. "I'm not picking anything up."
"We have to make sure they're safe," said Gordon. "Call Thunderbird 5. Get John to-"
"Ahem!" Alan coughed, cutting Gordon off. He then pointed to the ground. "I got a better idea," he said. "Let's follow those." He was pointing to three sets of footprints in the snow.
"Good spot, Alan," said Kayo. "You lead the way."
So Alan did, heading off into the trees with Kayo following and Gordon bringing up the rear. They zig-zagged their way through the trees, following the trail of prints until they came to the edge of the woods, right at the spot where it met the hill where the avalanche had been.
"The tracks end here," said Alan. "Do you think they went down the hill?"
"They must have done," replied Kayo. "Where else could they be?"
"Didn't you give one of them a transceiver?" asked Gordon.
"I did."
"Then if we go down the hill and zigzag our way, we should come across them if they're buried?" said Gordon.
"Good thinking," said Kayo. "See, you two can work together when you need to."
Neither brother responded. They didn't care about their feud. The safety of the kids was what mattered to them. Lifting up the hazard rope, they began to ski down the hill, zigzagging like Kayo had taught them. Gordon had easily picked it up. Alan found it a little harder, but he was starting to get the hang of it.
As they headed down, each checking a different part of the slope, they listened carefully to their own tracievers in the hope that the beeping would get faster.
"Anything?" Kayo asked.
"Nothing on my side," answered Alan.
Gordon then noticed the wooden hut. "I wonder…" he said out loud to himself and headed towards it. As he got closer, he heard his transceiver starting to beep louder. "Hold up, I'm getting something. HELLO?!" he called out. "IS ANYONE OUT THERE?!" He then heard some muffled cries coming from inside the hut and saw Mandy's hand waving through the window. "They're trapped in the hut!"
Kayo and Alan changed their courses and came over to join Gordon outside the door of the hut. The beeping from the transceivers was very strong now. "Well done, Gordon," said Kayo. "Let's dig them out."
Gordon and Alan unfolded their shovels and began to dig away the snow from around the door as fast as they could. Within a few minutes, they'd cleared away enough to be able to open the door and release the three children.
"HOORAY!" they cheered.
"Thank you, International Rescue," said Sarah. "You saved our lives again."
Norman began looking around. "Have any of you seen my camera?"
Kayo and the brothers suddenly gave him stern looks. "And I'm guessing coming down the hill was your idea, Norman Price?"
"Well…yes…" he said sheepishly.
"That was stupid, Norman," scolded Gordon. "You could have gotten all of you killed."
"Yeah, can't you read the sign that said 'Do not pass' back up there?" added Alan.
Norman looked glumly at his shoes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I only wanted to make my movie as scary as possible. I didn't know an avalanche was going to happen."
"That was the whole reason why this section was fenced off," said Kayo. "To prevent an avalanche from happening."
Alan then spotted something in the snow nearby. He walked over and picked it up. "Here's your camera," he said. "Although I don't think the avalanche has done it any good."
Norman took the camera and tried to turn it on. But it didn't. It had been badly damaged. "NOOOO!" he wailed. "It's RUINED! I CAN'T USE ANYTHING ON IT NOW!" He then fell to his knees.
"Serves you right, Norman," said Mandy. She then turned to Kayo and Gordon. "Could you take us back to the train, please?"
Now that was something the International Rescue team were only too glad to do.
Since the dressing down he'd given his two youngest sons the night before, Jeff had been having serious second thoughts about allowing Gordon the vacation time he'd given him. He knew therefore he had to make both Penelope and Lord Patrick aware of what had happened and he felt very uneasy when informing them of it.
"That is very distressing, Jeff," said Penelope. "This is really out of character for Gordon."
"I know, Penny, that's why I'm worried," said Jeff. "But Alan's been giving Gordon a lot of grief over what happened over Christmas. I was never angry at Gordon for it. I understood his feelings. Everyone else has forgiven him…except for Alan. And I guess things finally got too much. It's my fault. I should have gotten them to settle it sooner."
"Don't blame yourself, Jeff," said Patrick. "They're brothers. All siblings fall out and make up eventually."
"I know, Pat," said Jeff. "My boys have had fallings-out with each other before. Especially when they were younger. But this was different. I fear the damage this time may take a long time to heal."
"Where are they now?" asked Penelope.
"Currently out on a training exercise with Kayo," said Jeff. "I figured by putting them in a situation where they're forced to work together, that should make them realise how much they still need each other."
Patrick and Penelope looked at each other. "That's a heck of a chance there, Jeff," said Patrick. "If you'll forgive me for saying this, I don't think having them together is the wisest idea."
Jeff was stumped into silence. He now started to think. Had he really made the right decision after all?
The train carrying Norman, Sarah and Mandy headed out of the station to make its way back down the short heritage railway to the village where they lived. Kayo, Gordon and Alan stood on the platform and waved as they watched them go.
"So what now, Kayo?" asked Gordon. "Back to training?"
"The training was to teach you how to work in a hostile environment without the Thunderbirds," said Kayo. "Yet we ended up performing a rescue, which was exactly what I was training you for. I think it's safe to say you both passed the first time."
"WOO-HOO!" cheered Gordon. "High-Five, Alan!" He raised his hand.
Alan started to raise his hand, but then stopped. "No," he said and then started to walk away, leaving Gordon and Kayo stumped.
"What?!" said Gordon. "Come on, Alan. We worked well together!"
"And you think that means you're forgiven?!" Alan snapped suddenly turning back around. "Nothing's changed between us, Gordon! I'm still mad at you."
Gordon clapped both his hands onto his head. "Come OOOOOOOOOON!" he roared in frustration. "I have already apologised what happened over Christmas and-"
"THIS AIN'T ABOUT THAT!" Alan shouted. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! THAT REMARK YOU MADE ABOUT SOPHIE REALLY HURT ME, GORDON!"
"I thought you'd banished Sophie from your mind, Alan?" asked Kayo. "You were all too happy to get her out after she tormented your dreams!"
"I was happy she'd stopped haunting me, yes!" said Alan sharply. "But does that mean I've forgotten about her completely? NO! I HAVEN'T! Not a day goes by where I don't have huge regrets over what happened!" Tears were starting to trickle down his face. "I hate myself for not keeping her away from that crater on Victory Day Island! I wish I could have talked her out of trying to kill that Subterrain Leader. I should have pleaded for her before she was taken away from me. I SHOULD HAVE HELPED HER!"
Kayo and Gordon looked at each other. Gordon tried his best to stop himself from crying too. "Alan…I am so sorry for what I said back on the island," he began. "I-"
"Save it!" Alan cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your voice again!" He turned and started to walk away again.
Gordon couldn't believe it. His own brother telling him to get lost. He found himself shaking, unable to take in what he'd just heard. He could feel his heart breaking inside of him.
Kayo was deeply shocked by what she'd just witnessed. "Sit there," she said quietly, urging Gordon to sit down on the edge of the platform on the opposite side of where the track was. "I'll go talk to him."
Gordon couldn't find any words to say. As he watched Kayo walk briskly after Alan, he practically fell onto the edge of the platform, and then began to sob.
Alan seemed to know Kayo was following him. He tried to pick up his pace.
"Alan."
"Leave me alone, Kayo!"
"Alan, stop right now and look at me!"
Alan stopped and turned around with a massive sigh. "What?"
SLAP!
Alan staggered and almost fell over. "OW!" he cried as the pain from Kayo's hand seemed to go right through his cheek and into the rest of his face. As he rubbed it, he looked back at Kayo who was glaring angrily at him. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"
"What do you think?!" Kayo snapped back. "That was horrible what you just said!"
"Good! It was supposed to be!" Alan said.
Kayo grabbed him by his uniform, picked him up slightly and then slammed him into a tree trunk.
"GET OFF ME!" Alan spat.
"NO!" Kayo roared. She then fixed him with a glare unlike Alan had never known from her before. He had never seen her look so angry. "Listen to me, Alan Tracy. Your father gave me this assignment to get the two of you to work together after your fight and get you both to realise you still need him as much as he needs you!"
"Well he shouldn't have!" said Alan angrily. "I didn't want to come out on this assignment anymore than I want to be anywhere near Gordon!"
"Even after he's shown deep regret and apologised for his actions?" growled Kayo.
"And you expect me to forgive him just like that?" asked Alan, clicking his fingers. "No, Kayo. it doesn't work like that. Why are you even defending what he said?"
"I'm not defending what he said to you," said Kayo, releasing her grip a little. "What he said was uncalled for, yes. But should you have been mocking him and Lady Penelope beforehand? Huh?"
"I wasn't mocking Lady Penelope!" protested Alan. "I was calling him out for his selfishness!"
Kayo looked over at Gordon who was sobbing into his hands. "Look at him, Alan," she said. "Does that look like someone who isn't remorseful for their actions?"
Alan had to force himself to look back over at Gordon. He looked at him for what to Kayo seemed like a long time, but he said nothing.
"Alan…this feud can't be allowed to continue," said Kayo, a lot more softly now. "Whether you like it or not, Gordon is still your brother. You've got to let this go."
Alan looked back at her. She now looked sad. He felt sad as well. He gave a sad sigh. "I'm sorry, Kayo. But I can't let this go."
Kayo's sadness turned back into a frown. "You disappoint me," she said. She'd thought about hitting him again, but decided it wasn't worth it. Instead she started to walk back towards Gordon. As she went, she turned on her wrist communicator. "International Rescue from Kayo. Operation Reconcile has ended in failure. Thunderbird 2, come and get us."
Those words caused the hearts of everyone who heard it to sink. Jeff had been alone in the lounge. When he heard Kayo's words, he tensed up, shook with rage, let out an angry bellow and threw his favourite mug across the lounge at Alan's portrait where it smashed and the pieces ended up on the floor. He then buried his own face in his hands whilst Grandma did her best to try and comfort him.
The journey back inside Thunderbird 2 was even more awkward than it had been on the way out. As it turned out, Kayo had not used Thunderbird Shadow to get out to Wales. Instead, she'd been hiding in Thunderbird 2 and only Virgil and Jeff had known she was there. Now she found herself sitting in the seat behind Virgil where Alan had been on the outward journey. Gordon was back in the co-pilot seat and Alan had been made to sit in one of the spare seats right at the back of the cockpit. He didn't seem to care though. He was nowhere near Gordon and that suited him. Nobody said a word however. Nobody knew what to say, or what to think. There were just the thoughts of anger and sorrow. Virgil periodically glanced over at Gordon. He could see just how sad his brother looked, and that in turn made him sad.
Jeff had decided to speak with both Gordon and Alan about what had taken place, but this time it would be one on one with each of them.
Gordon was the first to be called in. Jeff could now see the hurt and torment in his second-youngest son and it broke him.
"I'm so sorry, Dad," Gordon said tearfully. "I've really messed up this time, haven't I?"
"Not entirely, son," replied Jeff. "And whilst you may have goaded Alan into attacking you with that despicable comment, and I do mean it was despicable, he is equally at fault with his comments towards you."
"Doesn't change the fact I let him get to me, does it?" Gordon said. "I guess I can say goodbye to my vacation with Lady Penelope, can't I? I can't be rewarded after this."
"Rewarded? No," agreed Jeff. "But I'm gonna allow you to go anyway."
Gordon was surprised. "R-Really?"
"Yes," said Jeff. "I was a fool, Gordon. I'd hoped by putting you and Alan in a situation where you were forced to work together I could get you both to put aside your differences and make peace with each other. Clearly…that hasn't worked, has it?"
"No, Dad. It hasn't," agreed Gordon.
Jeff sighed. "I spoke with Penny and her father whilst you were out and I explained what had happened. They were both naturally shocked by what had happened, but it was Patrick who convinced me not to deny you your vacation time."
"Really?"
"Forcing you and Alan to be together clearly wasn't the best decision," said Jeff. "I guess to have you kept apart from each other for a while would be better. Which is why I'm going to extend your leave to two weeks rather than one. Hopefully the time apart will let you both calm down and think things over. Then when you come back, a fresh start can be had?"
Gordon was conflicted. On the one hand, he was extremely grateful for this. But on the other hand, given what Alan had said to him, he was somewhat sceptical about Alan having changed his mind. "Thanks, Dad," he said. "But I feel it's gonna take more than a miracle to get Alan to let go of the hatred he's developed for me."
"Hatred is an emotion that has no place in this family," said Jeff. "I refuse to allow it to manifest any further. Go pack your things, son. You'll fly out to England tomorrow. Go get some rest."
Gordon nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh, and Gordon?"
"Yes, Dad?"
"Well done on saving those kids," said Jeff. He gave a smile.
This lifted Gordon's spirits. He walked back over to his dad and hugged him. "Thank you," he said. "I hope you can make Alan see sense."
"So do I," agreed Jeff.
Unfortunately for Jeff, his hopes of making Alan see sense fell apart rather quickly.
"So despite the way he insulted me and my ex-girl, you're still rewarding him with his vacation?" said Alan.
"Not rewarding," answered Jeff. "It's what I should have done in the first place. He's going for as much your benefit as it is his."
"Good," said Alan. "He can stay out there."
Jeff's eyes narrowed. "Care to repeat that?"
"Huh?"
"Don't 'Huh' me, boy!" Jeff snapped, getting up from his desk. "I heard what you said. I know how much hatred you've developed for your brother, and I will NOT tolerate it!"
"You can't defend what he said to me!" Alan protested. "Why is everyone taking his side and not mine?"
"I'm not taking either side!" said Jeff. "You were both equally at fault for what happened and by the time Gordon gets back in just over two weeks, I expect you to have dropped this animosity towards him."
"I'm not dropping anything, Dad!" said Alan defiantly. "He hurt me with those words and I won't forgive him - ever!"
Jeff could feel his blood pressure rising like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "You're treading on thin ice, Alan," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "This family is a tight and effective unit and I will NOT ALLOW IT TO BE RIPPED APART!"
"IT'S ALREADY RIPPED APART, DAD!" Alan shouted back. "GORDON BROKE IT WHEN HE MADE THAT REMARK!"
"ENOUGH!" Jeff bellowed, banging both his fists on the table. Silence filled the room for a few moments as he tried to recompose himself. "Two weeks should be more than enough time for you to be apart from each other. Like I said, Alan, you'd better be prepared to change your attitude towards Gordon or so help me there will be consequences."
Alan remained silent.
"Go to your room," said Jeff. "You're grounded unless Thunderbird 3 is required." He turned away towards the window.
"No."
Jeff stopped dead and turned back. "What did you say?"
"I said 'No'," replied Alan calmly. "I won't."
Jeff walked menacingly towards his youngest son. "Do as you're told!" he ordered.
"NO!" Alan bellowed, suddenly flying into a rage. "I REFUSE TO BE THE BAD GUY IN THIS! I'M NOT AT FAULT!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ATTACKED YOUR BROTHER AND TRIED TO KILL HIM!' Jeff bellowed back.
"HE SHOULD HAVE KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT!"
"AND YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOUR FEELINGS TO YOURSELF!"
"DAD, I AM NOT A GODDAMN CHILD!" screamed Alan. "STOP TREATING ME LIKE ONE!"
"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE ONE, DAMN IT!" Jeff thundered back.
Alan had no comeback for that. He was shaking with a mixture of rage and hurt.
Jeff took several breaths to try and calm himself. "Now I'm only going to say this once," he said. "Get out."
Alan shook his head in disbelief as tears began streaming down his cheeks. "This isn't FAIR!" he whined as he stormed out of the lounge to head off to his room.
Jeff watched his youngest son storm out and he instantly began to feel sick. He wretched and fell to the floor. The stress and anger had gotten too much for him, and soon, he too had broken down in tears.
