HARMAN's Toy Store in New York City always saw its busiest time in the lead-up to Christmas and this year was no exception. Every year about a week before the big day, the store would host a series of big 'Meet Santa' events where an actor dressed up as Santa would come and visit hundreds of excitable children whose parents had been able to book timed slots to see him.

It was the first of the five days where Santa visited the store, an excitable crowd of children were waiting with their parents in the waiting area located on Floor 49 of the fifty-storey building located a stone's throw from Central Park and next door to the Bank of New York for Santa to arrive. As they looked out of the windows, they could see the lights of a yellow Helijet making its way towards the building.

"There he is!" a little girl called excitedly.

"Cool!" said a boy. "He's coming by Helijet."

Rudolph-1 was the appropriate codename given to the Helijet. It was on a slow descent towards the Helipad on the top of the Harman's Building. But whilst everyone inside the store may have been excitable, the mood inside the cockpit was far from jolly. The pilot was very worried about the weather conditions. "This is far worse than I thought," he said to the man in the passenger seat who was dressed up as Santa Claus. "The snow's bad enough, but the wind is something else. I'm not entirely sure if we're gonna be able to land safely."

"Please do what you can, Joe," said Santa. "I've got over a hundred children waiting in that building. I really don't want to let them down and ruin their Christmas."

"I get that," said the pilot. "But as my passenger, you're my responsibility. It'll be no good if we're both killed when trying to land."

Santa nodded gloomily in agreement.

"If we can't then we'll land in Central Park with permission from the Police," said the pilot. "Don't worry, Santa. You won't let your audience down."

"Thank you, Joe," said Santa gratefully.

The pilot did a quick scan of the instruments. "Hmmm, the wind has dropped a little," he said. "Maybe I can get us down. But I'd better warn the store of the back-up plan."

"Please do," said Santa. "The quicker we can execute a plan, the better."

The pilot nodded and pushed a button on the console. "Rudolph-1 to Harman's Toy Store. Come in, please?"

With an instant beep, the hologram of Mr Harman appeared from the projector. "Go ahead, Rudolph-1. How far away are you?"

"Approaching you now, Mr Harman," said the pilot. "However, I am concerned about the weather conditions. This wind is quite strong."

"Mmm, yes, I was monitoring it," said Mr Harman. "Don't worry, I've been talking to the NYPD. If you aren't able to land, they're going to clear you a landing spot in Central Park."

The pilot and Santa exchanged a look. "Funny, I was going to make that suggestion myself," said the pilot."

Mr Harman chuckled. "Great minds think alike," he said. "Give it a try and see what happens."

"The wind has dropped a bit," said the pilot. "I'm going to go for it."

Slowly, and carefully, the Rudolph-1 moved closer to the top of the Harman's Building. Santa held onto the side of the seat. He was a nervous flyer and was doing his best to hide it.

"Easy…" said the pilot. "Easy now."

The Helijet was now over the top of the building, passing over the raised section where a doorway leading to stairs was located close to the Helipad.

"Almost there," said Santa. "Looks like we're gonna make it."

But he'd spoken too soon. Without any warning, there came an almighty WHOOSH as a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere. It struck the side of the helijet, causing it to move over hard to the right. It missed the Helipad, one of its feet caught on the roof causing its left-side to lift up where the wind then hit it even harder and caused the whole aircraft to flip right over, landing with a hard CRASH before coming to rest upside-down.

The impact caused the building to shake and the windows rattled. This alarmed everyone inside who felt it. All of the children looked around and began asking their parents what had happened, to which none of them were able to answer.

Mr Harman was just as concerned. He spoke urgently into his radio. "Rudolph-1? Rudolph-1, can you hear me? Come IN!"

Santa opened his eyes and shook his head. He looked around. He was alive, much to his relief. Then he looked to his right and saw that the pilot wasn't moving. "Joe? Joe! Are you hurt?"

The pilot did not respond. He was completely still.

Santa unfastened his seatbelt and then fell upwards out of his seat. "Oh, Goodness!" he exclaimed. "We've landed upside-down!" He managed to get himself the right way up and went to check on the pilot. To his relief, he was still breathing. "Thank God," he said. "But I daren't try to move him. He could be hurt. I need to get help. Hang on, Joe. I'll get help for you."

Luckily for Santa, the Helijet's side door was still able to open. Unluckily for him, no sooner was he outside when he suddenly realised that actually he'd have been better off staying inside the aircraft. The icy cold air stung his face as the flakes of snow swirled all around him.

"Oh, my heavens! This is horrible!" Santa said out loud. "Now…where's the door? Why hasn't anyone come to check on…" He got no further. Another strong gust of wind struck the top of the building. It wasn't as strong as the one that had caused the Helijet to flip over, but then Santa was an awful lot lighter than the Helijet was. Before he realised what was happening, he found his feet had left the roof and was flying through the air, being carried by the ferocious wind. "Ahhh, Ahhhhhh, Ahhhhhhhhh, Ahhhhhhh, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he cried as he was carried right over the side of the building. He would have fallen right down towards the street far below if not for him noticing a flag-pole that was on the side of the building. He reached out and managed to grab hold of it. He was safe from falling, but only for now. He was still in terrible danger. He looked down and gasped out in terror. It was a very long way down. "Oh, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

It wasn't just Santa who was aware of the predicament he was now in. The flag-pole that he'd landed on was in full view of the tall glass windows of the room where all the children were waiting. Several began screaming and crying out in panic whilst the horrified parents began trying to make them look away.

"My God, he's trapped!" exclaimed Mr Harman when he saw the situation on the security camera footage. "SOMEONE GET UP TO THE ROOF, NOW!" he bellowed into his desk microphone.

Some of the security team were in the same room as the children and had been assisting in trying to shield the endangered Santa from their view. The Head of Security got the call from Mr Harman over his earpiece. "COME ON!" he ordered. "WE NEED TO GET UP THERE!"

Five members of security including the leader were soon hurrying up the stairs to the door that led out onto the roof. They reached the door, pushed down the handle and then moved it forwards. But it only moved an inch before stopping dead and wouldn't go any further.

"COME ON! PUSH!" bellowed the Head of Security. He and two others pushed with all their might. But the door wouldn't go any further. "Wait!" he then said. "Something's stopping it from opening. He pushed the door as far as it would go. He couldn't get his body through but just about managed to poke his head out to try and see what was stopping it. He soon found his answer and quickly reported via earpiece to Mr Harman. "No good, Mr Harman. The Helijet's upside-down and blocking the door. We can't get out there."

Mr Harman banged his fist angrily on the table. "I'm calling the Mayor's Office and the Commissioner. We need to get Santa before he falls!"

All across the city, the alarm was being raised. Police Cars screamed out from their Precincts. Fire Trucks raced out of their Fire Houses, and Ambulances darted out from various hospitals. Nobody could predict how this situation was going to end.

Santa clung onto the flagpole for dear life. Using what strength he had, he'd managed to pull himself up a little and wrap his arms around the pole. He had then tried to get his legs up as well but wasn't able to do that. The wind continued to howl around him. He felt the bitter cold on his face and it made him very uncomfortable. He could see the lights of Helicopters belonging to both the Police and the News Stations. He wanted to wave to them but didn't dare in case he lost his grip and fell. "I hope someone comes up with a plan soon," he said nervously.

Hayley and Amanda had recently arrived in New York to undertake their GDF assignment. As they made their way through the concrete canyons of the Big Apple in Hayley's Cheetah, Amanda was already feeling bored. "Why couldn't Colonel Jennings have assigned this to someone else?" she asked. "I was looking forward to spending Christmas with Wayne."

"And me with Virgil," agreed Hayley. "But the world doesn't stop for Christmas, Amanda. And nor do the criminals. This time of year the crime rate in New York tends to rise with looting and attempts to rob the city's banks by those wishing for a Christmas bonus. Colonel Jennings got a tip-off that a possible heist is being planned against the Second National Bank. She wants us to visit and perform a review of security."

"I still think someone else should have been given the job," grunted Amanda.

"Yeah, well, we're here now," said Hayley. "Let's just get on with it."

The sound of sirens suddenly caught their attention. They looked to see up to five Police Cars, two vans, some Ambulances and a pair of Fire-Trucks go racing past.

"Something's going on," said Amanda.

"Let's see if we can help," agreed Hayley, accelerating the Cheetah to catch up with the Emergency vehicles.

They hadn't gone far when Amanda noticed the vehicles turning right down into another street. "They're turning right here," she said.

Hayley checked the Cheetah's map screen. She frowned. "That's the street where the bank is!" she said.

"Maybe someone's trying their luck already?" suggested Amanda.

Hayley spun the wheel and the Cheetah powerslid before heading down the street after the Fire-Truck that had been bringing up the rear. They could see the lights of Police Helicopters high above them, gathering around the tallest building down towards the end.

"Well they're not attending the bank," said Hayley. "Something else must be up. What building is that?"

Amanda checked the screen. "The Harman's Toy Store," she said. They both exchanged a worried look. "Didn't Colonel Jennings mention that instead of the Bank?"

"She mentioned a bank to me before we left," said Hayley. "That was before you arrived."

They looked down the road at the commotion that was occurring.

"Oh, God. I hope there's no robbery or fire occurring!" said Hayley. She then slammed on the brakes. A Police Roadblock had been set up in front of them. "Come on, we'll go on foot," she said.

Shutting down the Cheetah's engine. The two officers emerged from the vehicle and donned their coloured caps matching their respective scarlet and green uniforms. They then approached the barrier where a Police Officer stood in their way. "Sorry, you can't come through," she said. "This area is sealed off."

Hayley and Amanda had expected this and pulled out their identification cards. "Stand aside, please, Officer," said Hayley. "Captain Madison. This is Captain Thompson. We're Global Defence Force."

"Oh…" said the officer, unsure what to do. But before she could, Hayley had pushed past the barrier. "HEY!"

Amanda stopped her. "Relax, kiddo. You keep doing your job. Let us do ours. Hm?" She then headed after Hayley.

Hayley soon found the Officer in Charge and introduced herself. "Hello, Chief. Captain Madison of the GDF. Can we be of any assistance?"

The Chief was a lot more welcoming than the officer at the gate had been. "Chief Brody," he said. "Thank God you're here, Captain. Maybe your people could help fix the problem we have."

"Which is?" Hayley asked just as Amanda joined them. "Do we have a robbery in progress or a fire?"

At that moment, a powerful ground-based searchlight was turned on and was shone up the side of the building towards the top.

"Neither," said the Chief. "That is the problem!"

Hayley and Amanda looked up the side of the building. But they couldn't see anything wrong. "I don't see anything," said Amanda with confusion.

Hayley lowered a visual scanner from the peak of her cap to see if it could reveal the issue. It soon did. It zoomed in on the flag-pole and couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Oh, my God!"

"The man playing Santa for the kids in there tonight got blown off the roof after his Helijet crashed," said the Chief. "Now he's dangling from that flag-pole."

"And what have you done about it?" asked Hayley.

"We've tried air rescue," said the Chief. "But the wind is causing all sorts of problems. Every time one of our choppers had tried to move in close, it picks up again. We don't want to risk crashing into the building."

Amanda had now observed Santa through her own visor. "He's not gonna last long up there," she said. "We need to do something."

"Well I hope you have something that could do the job," said the Chief. "This is the best we've got and we can't do anything for him right now!"

Hayley looked up and Santa again. She knew of an option, but even it would be touch and go whether it would work. "I need to make a call," she said and hurried back to the Cheetah. She entered the vehicle and turned on the radio. "Calling International Rescue. This is Hayley. This is an emergency!"

The radio beeped and the hologram of John appeared. "Hayley! Good to hear from you. What's up?"

"Hey, John. This is not a social call. We have a situation in New York."

"Another one?!" said John. "Dad and Grandma had their fair share of problems there two days ago."

Hayley was intrigued, but knew she couldn't ask. "This is going to sound crazy, John, but there's a man dressed as Father Christmas hanging from a flagpole on the top of the Harman's Toy Store."

John raised an eyebrow. "I…see," he said. He then moved over and brought up a hologram map of New York. He quickly looked up the location of the Harman's Toy Store Building and scanned for body signatures. He did a double-take when he saw what Hayley was referring to. "Wowee! This is serious!" he said. "What's the weather like?"

"Awful," said Hayley. "Strong winds and snow is falling again. Please, you've got to get the boys out here. He's not going to last very long up there."

"I'll call them right away," said John. "Keep the area clear for us."

"Copy that," said Hayley. "Over and out."

As Hayley's hologram disappeared, John reached for the button to call Tracy Island whilst looking anxiously back at the icon of where Santa was trapped. "I'm not actually sure we'll make it this time…"

Whilst New York was looking like a Winter Wonderland, on Tracy Island, it looked like nothing of the sort. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, it was the middle of Summer when Christmas took place. The island was baking in the hot Sun. Inside the villa however, the Tracy family were getting into a festive spirit by putting up the Christmas Tree and decorations.

All that was except for Virgil, who was feeling depressed that he would not be getting to see Hayley this year. He tried to liven things up by playing Christmas music on the piano. Looking around however, he was somewhat amused by the sight of Scott trying to unravel some tinsel. "Having trouble there, Scott?" he asked.

"Sheesh, flying Thunderbird 1 is easier than this," Scott remarked. "I don't suppose you could give me a hand, could you?"

"Keep playing your music, Virgil," Jeff called from his desk. "It's getting me into the holiday spirit."

That was good enough for Virgil.

Alan, Gordon and Kayo were busy decorating the tree with some help from Mini-MAX who was able to put the decorations high where the others couldn't reach. Alan was on a ladder but it wasn't quite tall enough for him to reach the top of the tree.

"Almost done," said Kayo. "This is looking beautiful."

"It sure is," agreed Grandma, who'd just come in with some freshly-baked Christmas cookies. "Well done."

"Thanks, Grandma," said Gordon.

"Hey, Gordo, have you got the star?" Alan asked.

"Ah, yes," said Gordon. He rummaged in one of the boxes and pulled out the star that was to go on the top of the tree. "Here you go," he said, passing it to Kayo who then handed it to Alan. Alan then went to the very top of the ladder and was about to hand the star to Mini-MAX when a beeping sound made him jump. "AAH! WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he cried and then fell off the ladder and let go of the star. Mini-MAX warbled in alarm and managed to catch the star.

Alan was lucky there was a load of empty cardboard boxes which broke his fall.

Everyone had reacted in alarm also as Alan fell.

"ALAN! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Jeff asked urgently.

"Uhh, yeah!" Alan said, picking himself up. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone that high. Sorry, Dad."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. Then a cough made him and everyone else turn to the source. It was John's hologram that had appeared from the eyes of his portrait. "Sorry to interrupt the decorating, everyone. We have an emergency situation."

"What have you got for us, John?" asked Scott.

"Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are needed in New York right away," said John. "I'll fill you in once you're airborne. Better bring Module 2, Virgil."

"F-A-B," said Virgil. He was eager for a mission to take his mind off things.

"Are we needed, too?" asked Gordon.

"You can go," said Grandma. "I need to check Alan over."

"Grandma, I'm fine!" insisted Alan.

"Go with her, Alan," instructed Jeff. "Scott, Virgil, Gordon. On your way."

Scott, Virgil and Gordon were soon heading down their respective launch tunnels with their uniforms placed on their bodies as they went. Scott was soon aboard Thunderbird 1, heading up the tunnel towards the launch bay whilst Virgil landed in the cockpit of Thunderbird 2 before selecting Module 2. He was joined by Gordon once the main body had been lowered down onto it. It then exited the hangar and taxied along the runway once the avenue of palm trees had folded back to let it pass. Once on the ramp, it was lifted into place just as the swimming pool had moved clear as Thunderbird 1 was arriving in its launching position.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

The mighty engines of the two powerful ships roared into life. Thunderbird 1 gracefully lifted up from its launching bay whilst Thunderbird 2 soared off its ramp. Soon the two ships were at cruising height and headed across the Pacific Ocean at maximum speeds. "Thunderbirds are GO!" announced Scott.

Thunderbirds 1 and 2 quickly reached altitude and were soon up to speed. "Okay, Thunderbird 5," Scott said once they were clear of the island. "Fill us in."

"Your destination is the Harman's Toy Building in Manhattan," answered John. "The guy dressed up as Santa Claus is currently hanging onto a flag-pole for dear life…and he could fall any second, so step on it."

Scott was about to reply but instead heard laughter coming from Thunderbird 2. "Gordon…what's so funny?"

"Are you being serious, John?" Gordon said once he'd finished howling. "Santa Claus on a flag-pole?! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Instead of responding, John instead sent live video footage from a Police Helicopter camera to the console for Gordon to see.

Gordon's laughing stopped like someone had flicked an off-switch. "Oh…"

"How did he even end up there?" asked Virgil.

"The Helijet he came in was overturned by a freak gust of wind by the look of it," John said. "I'm guessing he tried to get help and the wind took him there."

"That's some powerful wind," remarked Scott. "What are the conditions like there now?"

"Not good," said John grimly. "The Police have already tried to rescue him but every time they've tried, the wind picks up again and again and they've had to abort."

"They won't want to risk their choppers getting blown into the building or any others," Virgil said.

"Exactly," said John. "I'm not entirely sure how you'll fare any better, but hopefully we can."

"I'll use my jetpack and grapples and see how close I can get," said Scott.

"In winds like that, you wouldn't stand a chance, Scott!" said Virgil.

"I have to try, Virgil," said Scott stubbornly. "I'm gonna fly ahead and see what I can do." And with that, Thunderbird 1 shot away into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Hang tight, Gordon," he said. "We can't get there too far behind him."

Thunderbird 2's afterburners roared as it set off after Thunderbird 1, although nowhere near as fast as its sistership could go.

"If Scott can't rescue Santa, what chance do we have?" asked Gordon.

Virgil didn't answer for a moment. He was too busy thinking. He looked on the console at the holographic image of the Harman's Building and the location of where Santa was. "Hmmm. I wonder…" he said to himself. He then opened the communication link to Tracy Island. "Base from Thunderbird 2. Is Brains there, Dad?"

"Go ahead, Virgil?" Jeff answered as his hologram appeared. "He sure is. Brains?"

Brains's hologram now appeared. "I'm h-here, Virgil. How can I help you?"

"Brains, did you finish developing those gecko-tracks for the Pods?"

"Errrr…almost," Brains answered, looking a little worried. "I did p-put a set aboard Thunderbird 2 with the intention of conducting a field test within the next few days."

"Sounds like we're gonna need them on this mission," said Virgil.

Brains was quick to object. "Virgil, those t-tracks haven't been tested on anything yet! I c-cannot say if they will even work or not!"

"A man's life is at stake, Brains," said Virgil. "And if these tracks do work, they could be his only chance of survival. We have to try it!"

Brains looked uneasily at Jeff.

Jeff could see the uncertainty in Brains' eyes, but he agreed with Virgil. "If it's the only option we have, then go for it, Virgil," he said.

"F-A-B, Dad," said Virgil. "We'll bring you in so you can see for yourselves. Thunderbird 2, out."

Jeff then turned to Brains. "In all honesty, Brains. What's the chances of them pulling this off?"

"If the conditions are as bad as J-John says they are," Brains said unhappily. "I would p-put the chances of success as r-rather unlikely."

Jeff felt his stomach churn. He couldn't explain why, but this mission seemed to matter more than any that International Rescue had undertaken before. It wasn't just a man whose life was at stake, it was Santa Claus himself who needed saving.