SANTA was beginning to lose his battle of strength as he continued to hold tightly onto the flagpole. He was trying very hard not to look down. His arms ached. Every part of his body was in pain and the bitter cold wind was making him want to pass out. "I have to survive…for the sake of all the children in there. I have to."

The NYPD had completely sealed off the road outside the Harman's Building with traffic being diverted away from the danger zone. Under instruction of Hayley, a large number of crash mats had been brought out of the building and placed on the ground underneath where Santa was dangling. Even though it would probably do no good at all, they felt they needed to try and come up with something in case he should lose his grip. This was looking more likely as his arms were getting tired and the freezing air was stinging his face. His tears of fear had frozen to his face as well.

"He can't hold on much longer," Mr Harman said to Hayley. He'd come outside to assist. "I hope your plan to save him works, Captain."

"In all the years I've known International Rescue, I've never known them to fail," said Hayley.

"Speaking of," said Amanda. "Here they are now!"

All eyes turned skywards as did one of the searchlights to reveal Thunderbird 1 coming in over the city. As it flew past, it was noticed by the children who were still inside the waiting area. They in an instant forgot to be scared for Santa and began cheering with excitement.

"Oh, boy, YES!" said one.

"Santa is saved!" said another.

Scott brought Thunderbird 1 into a hover above the concrete canyon. "This is International Rescue!" he called out over the tannoy. "Don't worry, Santa. We'll have you safe in no time!"

"P-P-P-Please…H-H-H-Hurry!" quivered Santa.

Scott put on his helmet and jetpack and opened the underside hatch before dropping out. "Thunderbird 5, I'm WOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" he yelled as he was suddenly caught by the ferocious wind. He was blown right across the opposite building. He activated his jetpack and tried to fly back. But he found the wind was holding him at bay. "THIS…IS…WORSE…THAN…I…THOUGHT!" he shouted against the howling.

"Scott! Thunderbird 1!" John's voice said frantically.

Scott looked and gasped to see that it too was being pushed sideways, straight towards one of the skyscrapers! "No, you DON'T!" he said, pressing a button on his wrist controller to activate it. The thrusters fired and it moved forwards so he could get back inside before pulling up clear of the buildings. "Phew! That was close."

"Are you okay, Scott?" John asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think Santa's gonna be for much longer," said Scott as he moved Thunderbird 1. "I think he lost grip on one of his hands just now."

"Poor guy's getting tired and frozen out there," said John. "We gotta do something quick."

"Well I can't go out there and move around freely," said Scott. "Not in this weather. Thunderbird 2, how far away are you?"

"Approaching Manhattan Island now, Thunderbird 1," Virgil's voice answered.

"I'll go and configure the Pod," said Gordon as he unfastened his safety-belt.

"Actually, Gordon. I need you to take control of Thunderbird 2," said Virgil. "I'm taking the Pod."

"You are?" said Gordon, surprised. "But-"

"You heard what Brains said," Virgil replied. "These new tracks haven't been tested. I'm taking it. No arguments. She's all yours." He passed control over to the secondary joystick allowing Gordon to take over. He then headed out of the cockpit and down into Module 2. He then selected the simplest Pod set up that he could. A Pod body with the new tracks as well as a grabbing arm.

"Er, Virgil. Where am I putting us down?" Gordon asked over the radio in Virgil's sash. "Central Park doesn't have an open area big enough for Thunderbird 2."

"Take her down as low as you dare then lower me down using the winch, Gordon," Virgil said as he donned his helmet and then climbed into the cockpit of the Pod. "Pod is assembled. I'm ready."

"F-A-B," said Gordon. "Over Central Park now. Stand-by for deployment."

"F-A-B!"

Thunderbird 2 came down low. The downforce from its thrusters began to disturb the snow on the ground. The hatch underneath the module opened and the Pod was lowered to the ground. Once detached, Virgil set off towards the nearest exit onto the road. "Gecko-Pod is GO!" he announced.

Scott had now Thunderbird 1 repositioned over the canyon. But those on the ground were concerned by the lack of action.

"What are they doing?" demanded Harman. He turned to Hayley. "I thought you said-"

"If one thing doesn't work, they'll try something else, Mr Harman!" Hayley replied. "Please be calm."

"Calm?!" spluttered Harman. "Captain, there is a man DANGLING FROM MY BUILDING IN FULL VIEW OF SEVERAL TERRIFIED CHILDREN!"

Hayley suddenly shot him a look. "And why haven't they been moved?" she asked.

"Because there's nowhere else for them to go!" said Mr Harman.

The Chief then cut in. "Mr Harman, Captain, PLEASE!"

Then his radio beeped. "Chief, there's a rescue vehicle approaching on the ground."

"Then let it in!"

The barrier blocking the road off was lifted and Virgil drove the Gecko-Pod into the exclusion zone. He soon reached the front of the Harman's Building, where his eyes lit up as he noticed a familiar figure amongst the waiting crowd. "I don't believe it!"

"What's wrong, Virgil?" asked Scott.

"Nothing! Hayley's here!"

"She is?" asked Gordon.

"Ah, you've seen her," added John.

Virgil blinked. "Wait, you knew she was here, John?!"

"She's the one who called it in," said John. "Sorry, but she asked me not to tell you. She didn't want you to get distracted from the mission."

Virgil looked at Hayley. She looked back at him. A look of sorrow on her face. She then pointed up at the top of the building, towards where Santa was trapped. Virgil looked up. He could barely see where Santa was, but he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Brains, how do these tracks work?"

"D-Drive up to the side of the building so that the ends of the tracks make contact," explained Brains. "Then activate the s-suction cups. That should be enough to l-lift you upwards and then take you straight up the building."

"Okay, let's try it," said Virgil. He moved the Pod cautiously towards the front of the Harman's Building. He positioned it so that the front end of the tracks were just touching the building. "Activating suction cups." A green light came on. He then took another deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

Everyone watched in amazement as the Pod then began to drive itself up the front of the building, all whilst maintaining its grip.

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Mr Harman. "How is that even possible?!"

Nobody could answer that. Even Hayley was gazing in awe at the unusual sight of a vehicle driving up the front of a building.

"Oh, right! It's working!" said Scott excitedly. "You've done it again, Brains!"

Brains felt some relief. "Congratulate me p-properly once Mr Claus is safe."

"He's just an actor, Brains!" remarked Alan. "Santa isn't real."

Jeff chuckled. "No presents for you now you've said that, Alan," he joked.

Santa watched on in astonishment at the sight of this strange green vehicle that was driving up the side of the building towards him. He was too cold to exclaim out loud though.

As he drew closer, Virgil realised he'd not chosen the correct place to drive up the front of the building. There was about ten metres between his route and the flagpole where Santa was only just holding on. "Ahh," he said. "This is awkward. Brains, how do I change course whilst the gecko tracks are engaged?"

"Er, you c-can't, Virgil," Brains answered. "Once the gecko-tracks are a-active, you can only go in one direction."

"My angle is off," said Virgil. "I'm not sure if I can reach him."

Scott saw the problem. "I think I can help," he said. "If I can attach a line between the flagpole and the Pod, Santa could swing down to you."

"In his condition?" said Virgil. "He's barely managing to hold onto the pole. How could he hold onto a harness?"

"Let me worry about that," said Scott as he put his helmet back on. The hatch window underneath the front of Thunderbird 1 opened and Scott's seat lowered so he was outside again. Even though his suit and helmet prevented him from feeling how cold the wind was, he could still feel the power of it. "Jeez, that's nasty," he remarked. He kept himself strapped in so that he didn't get blown away and aimed his grapple gun at the flagpole. He fired. The grapple latched on near to where Santa was. Scott unfastened his safety-belt and swung out. He swayed backwards and forwards like a pendulum in the wind but was able to winch himself up towards the pole.

Suddenly, Santa lost his grip and began to fall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The children inside the Harman's Building all screamed in horror.

"SCOTT!" bellowed Virgil.

Scott looked up and gasped. "NO!" he shouted, throwing out his arm and grabbing hold of Santa's belt.

Santa felt a sudden jerk and stopped falling, although he continued to cry out for a few seconds before he realised he wasn't falling anymore.

"I'VE GOT YOU!" Scott shouted as he winched them both back up to the flagpole. Santa was very heavy and Scott struggled to pull him up to where he was able to grab onto it again. "I NEED YOU TO HOLD ON TO THIS FOR A FEW MOMENTS!" he yelled over the wind noise.

"I c-c-c-c-c-can't," shivered Santa. "I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-s-s-so c-c-c-c-c-c-cold!"

"I KNOW YOU ARE, BUDDY, BUT I NEED YOU TO TRUST ME!" Scott shouted. He made sure Santa was on the top of the pole with both his arms and legs wrapped around it whilst Scott worked to set up a zip-line from the pole to the Pod which was waiting. Virgil opened the cockpit and prepared to receive his passenger. "HOLD ONTO THIS!" Scott shouted as he helped Santa into the harness. "JUST LET GO! YOU'LL BE FINE!"

"J-J-J-J-J-J-J…" Santa stammered.

"YOU GOTTA LET GO!" Scott yelled again.

"H-H-H-H-Help…J-J-J-J-Joe…" stammered Santa.

"WHO'S JOE?!"

Santa couldn't answer with words. Instead he pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the roof of the building.

"I think he means the Helijet pilot, Scott," Virgil said over the radio.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that," said Scott. He turned back to Santa. "OKAY! LET GO ON THREE! ONE! TWO! THREE!"

Santa let go with his legs and cried out in terror as he swung down the zip-line from the flagpole, straight into Virgil's arms. "I GOT HIM!"

"Good job, Virgil," said Scott. "Get him to the ground. I'm going to check on that Helijet pilot."

"F-A-B!" said Virgil. He helped Santa into the passenger seat and let go of the zip-line so Scott could reel it in. He then climbed back into his own seat and began to reverse the Gecko-Pod back down the building towards the ground.

With his equipment secured, Scott used his grapple to return to his seat in Thunderbird 1. He then started to move his craft cautiously over to above the roof of the Harman's Building. He could see the Helijet on its side with no sign of the pilot. "I'm gonna need my magnetic boots for this one," he said and put it into autopilot again so he could put them on.

Virgil had managed to reach the ground safely and Paramedics were ready to receive Santa. After Virgil had helped him out, he was rushed into the back of an Ambulance where he was given a steaming hot mug of hot chocolate and wrapped in a big blanket.

"Santa is safe," Virgil reported.

"Well done, son," said Jeff. "Scott, how are you getting on?"

Scott had put on his magnetic boots and lowered himself down onto the roof of the building. He walked as carefully as he could over to the Helijet, taking one step at a time. "This…wind…is making…it…tough," he said between each step. "But…I'll…get…there." Soon he did. He reached the upturned Helijet and climbed up to look inside the open door. He could see the Pilot who wasn't moving. "I've reached the Helijet," Scott said once he'd gotten his breath back. "But the pilot's still out cold."

Brains then spoke up. "Scott, how do you p-plan to get him to safety?"

"I was going to lift him out and then grapple us both back up into Thunderbird 1," said Scott.

"I would s-strongly advise against that," warned Brains. "The wind is t-too strong. You can m-manage with your magnetic boots, but trying to c-carry another person in it may prove c-catastrophic."

"Then what do you suggest, Brains?" asked Scott, irritated. "I can't just leave him here."

"You w-won't be," said Brains. "I've also c-calculated that Thunderbird 1 might not have enough power to lift the Helijet or k-keep hold of it with one cable in this wind. I suggest that Thunderbird 2 use its m-multiple grapples to move it instead."

"Music to my ears!" said Gordon, who had been standing by in Thunderbird 2 which was still hovering over Central Park. "Stand aside, Thunderbird 1. I'm coming in."

Scott suddenly noticed that the Helijet pilot was starting to stir. "Hey, he's waking up!" he said. "Buddy, can you hear me?"

The pilot slowly turned his head. "Wh-What…?" he said, confused. "W-What's…g-g-going on?"

"You've had a bit of a crash," Scott said. "I'm with International Rescue. We're gonna get you to safety. Are you hurt?"

"I…d-d-d-don't th-think s-s-s-s-so," shivered the Pilot. "W-W-W-Wait…W-W-W-Where's N-N-N-Nicholas?"

"Do you mean Santa?" asked Scott.

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah!" said the Pilot. "Al-Al-Although h-h-h-his r-r-r-r-real n-n-n-name i-i-i-is N-N-N-Nicholas."

"Apt," Scott said to himself. "Don't worry, we've already rescued him. Now it's your turn. Remain in your seat. Thunderbird 2 is gonna lift you to safety." He then closed the door to stop the pilot from getting any colder than he already probably was. He looked over to see Thunderbird 2 was approaching.

"Er, Scott, there might be a complication," said Gordon. "I'm not sure if lifting the Helijet whilst its at that angle is the best idea?"

Scott looked at the upturned Helijet. "No, you're probably right, Gordon," he said. "Brains, would turning it the right way up make it safer to move?"

"It p-probably would," answered Brains. "Use Thunderbird 1's g-grapple cable to turn it the right way up. Then Gordon can lift it c-clear with Thunderbird 2."

"Okay, Brains," said Scott. "Hold there for a moment, Thunderbird 2."

"F-A-B, Scott."

Scott thought about returning to Thunderbird 1, but decided he'd be better off remote-piloting it. Taking the remote control from his arm, he guided the Thunderbird over to where the Helijet lay and opened the larger underside hatch. He then fired the grapple cable onto the starboard-side engine and cautiously began to pull. It was touch and go for a moment, but eventually the Helijet broke free and landed upright on its pads. "It's there," he said, releasing the cable and moving Thunderbird 1 out of the way. "She's all yours, Gordon."

"F-A-B. Coming in now."

Thunderbird 2 now moved over the top of the building. Scott could feel the powerful downforce from the thrusters despite it being several feet clear. It began to blow the settling snow away. Gordon then fired four grapple cables out from the hatch underneath the Module which connected onto both engines, the cockpit and the tail-section of the Helijet. Then it carefully lifted it up off the roof of the Harman's Building before starting to fly away towards Central Park. Anyone who could see what was going on watched nervously as Thunderbird 2 carried the Helijet out of the canyon and over the park itself. Gordon could feel sweat on his brow. The Helijet was heavy, but to his relief, none of the grapples failed and he was able to gently place it on the ground. "Helijet is down," Gordon reported. "The pilot is safe."

Jeff felt very proud. "Great job, boys," he said. "Once you're sure both Santa and the pilot are in good hands, pack-up and return to base."

Virgil went to check on Santa. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, thank you," Santa replied. "I honestly don't know how I managed to hold on for so long. Are the children alright?"

Harman then appeared. He managed to catch on to what Santa was asking. "I've just come from seeing the parents and the children who were in the grotto lounge," he said. "They're all very relieved to know that you are safe. I haven't said this to them yet though, but I am prepared to cancel today's event given the circumstances."

To everyone's surprise, Santa shook his head. "That will not be necessary, Mr Harman. I came here to make children happy. I intend to do so."

"Really?" said Virgil. "After all you went through?"

"Of course," said Santa. "It would make their Christmas to see for themselves that I made it out of there in one piece." He then began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Virgil, confused.

"Tell me, young man," said Santa. "Did your parents ever tell you that I used to come down the chimney?"

"Sure," said Virgil, though he'd never believed it himself

"This time I got stuck on a flagpole," laughed Santa. "Doesn't quite have the same feel to it, does it?"

Virgil now chuckled. "No, it certainly doesn't."

Santa then removed himself from the Ambulance once they were satisfied that he was physically fit to do so.

"Merry Christmas, Santa," said Virgil as he watched him go.

"Merry Christmas, International Rescue," replied Santa. "And thank you."

Virgil watched Santa walk away with Harman towards the building. He then spotted another familiar figure in red walking towards him. He's face broke into a broad grin as he walked over to embrace the love of his life. But instead of embracing him, Hayley grabbed his arm and ushered him quickly into a dark alleyway where nobody could see them. "Hey, what's going-" Virgil tried to ask but Hayley shushed him. Then they began to kiss and embrace. Neither of them would know how long it was before they eventually let go of each other. It had been far too long since they'd been able to do so. "I've missed you," he said with love in his eyes.

"Missed you too, my love," Hayley replied. Both were trying to fight off tears. "I'm so sorry I've been so busy."

"Hey, it's okay, I understand," said Virgil. "I just wish you could have been with me for Christmas, that's all."

"That depends on the outcome of my last assignment," Hayley said. "Colonel Jennings has promised me leave once it's completed. I just don't know how long it'll take."

Virgil's heart sank. "What is the-" He cut off, noticing the stern look he was now getting from Hayley. "I can't ask. Sorry," he said.

"I hope it won't be more than a few days," said Hayley. "But just in case…" She pulled him in and gave him a big smooch. "Merry Christmas, darling."

Now Virgil was really trying to fight off the tears. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he said with a croak in his voice.

Hayley watched as Virgil climbed into the Gecko-Pod and it drove off back towards Central Park so it could be picked up by Thunderbird 2. She was also trying to fight off the tears, but like Virgil had done when he'd climbed into the Pod, failed to do so. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

Amanda put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'll see him soon," she said. "Wayne and I have a back-up plan in case we're not done by Christmas. I'm sure you have one as well?"

"Actually, no we don't," said Hayley. "But I guess it's the only thing we can do." She turned away and blew her nose before hastily putting the tissue away and putting her gloves back on. "Brrrrrrrrrrr! I thought those tears were going to freeze to my skin."

The two officers turned their attention to the two buildings that stood in front of them. On the left, the Second National Bank. On the right, the Harman's Toy Building.

Virgil had now been retrieved and returned to the cockpit of Thunderbird 2.

"Flight control is yours, Virgil," Gordon said. But Virgil didn't answer. "Virg? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you."

Gordon looked at his brother. "Don't you want to…" He began. Then he realised. "Ohhh, you've seen her, haven't you?" he said.

"We spoke," said Virgil. "We embraced. It just…makes me sad that I might not get to spend Christmas with her."

"Gee…I'm sorry, bro," said Gordon sympathetically. "Would you like me to fly us back home?"

Virgil was silent for a moment. Then he looked at his brother and gave a small smile. "Please," he said.

Thunderbird 2 climbed away from New York City and headed off after Thunderbird 1 which had already left a while before.

Hayley and Amanda had been given a room in a hotel which was opposite the bank. They set up a secret observation post where they could observe the comings and goings from both it and the Harman's Building.

It was the day after the incident with Santa and already the two officers were growing restless of the task they'd been given.

"Talk about tedious," Amanda remarked as Hayley brought her a mug of coffee. "Did you check the store out?"

"Yeah, I did," Hayley said. "I've made a scan of the building and have compared it with the blueprints the Colonel gave us of the bank. Take a look."

Amanda looked at the holographic scans of both the Harman's Building and the Second National Bank.

"Tell me," said Hayley. "If you were a criminal looking to break into this bank, how would you do it?"

Amanda took a few moments to consider the question. "The security outside the main vault is second to none," she said. "Over twenty armed guards outside the vault itself as well as the lobby and other areas. Two outside the main entrance as well and some round the back. All entrances and exits are covered."

"Exactly," said Hayley. "But there is one place where it could be done." She pointed to the wall where the back rooms of the ground floor of the Harman's Building met the side wall of the bank. "That's just one wall between the two. Extremely thick wall, but if someone had a powerful enough drill."

"They could break through," said Amanda. "The question is, how do we keep our eyes on that area?"

A smirk spread across Hayley's face. "I have an idea about that," she said. She then revealed a piece of paper and showed it to Amanda. "I picked this up."

Amanda stared at it. "Wanted - Elves for Santa's Grotto? Apply within." She then stared at Hayley in disbelief. "You're not serious?"

Hayley's smirk grew.