Origin of the Thunderbirds

It is a little known fact that the Tracy dynasty began with a broken paving stone. If Sarah Creighton-Ward had not tripped over a cracked paving stone that spring day in the year 2037, she would not have sent handsome young astronaut Jeff Tracy sprawling on the dirty London streets. Then she would never, by way of an apology, invited him to her engagement party, and he would never have met her fiancee's sister, Elizabeth. As she did trip, Jeff and Elizabeth met, fell in love and were married six months later.

The two weeks after the wedding were a social whirl but all too soon the young couple found themselves at London airport ready to fly to Jeff's American home.

Elizabeth said tearful farewells to her parents, her brother Richard and his wife Sarah (of paving stone fame), then turned her back on her old home and mounted the steps to the aeroplane that would carry her into her new life.

Just two months later the happy couple found they would be joined by a third, and the birth of their son Scott in April 2039 brought fulfillment to both parents. It also brought changes of another kind.

Jeff decided that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and son than could be allowed by the demands of the Space Agency, and resigned his post. Instead he founded a company, Tracy Engineering that looked at advanced materials that could be used by the Space industry. The company grew quickly and so did young Scott. He was a bright little boy and brought pleasure to his parents with his joy of life. When Scott was joined 18 months later by a brother, John, the proud parents felt they had nothing left to wish for.

Elizabeth was tired by the needs of a new baby and the demands of a bright lively toddler so the Tracy's employed a young girl, Rachel, to help. Rachel was a real find. Although just out of college, where she had studied childcare, she had a natural gift with young children. Scott took to his new friend immediately and together they explored the small town the Tracy's lived in, while Elizabeth cared for young John.

It has to be said that the 10-month gap between John and Virgil, the next Tracy, was a mistake and led to many changes for the young family. Virgil was born two months early and was at first a delicate baby. Elizabeth had had a difficult time, and was also ill for some time after the birth. This meant that the care of two-year-old Scott and young John fell increasingly to Rachel. It also hastened the family's removal to Tracy Island.

This was an island in the South Pacific Ocean that Jeff Tracy had bought soon after the founding of his second engineering company. The family had been building a villa there and it was nearing completion. With Elizabeth needing rest and quiet, the family moved when baby Virgil was only 3 months old. The constant building work caused further problems and after some discussion Jeff, Elizabeth and Virgil set off to England to visit Elizabeth's family. Scott and John were left on the idyllic island in Rachel's capable hands.

The visit was very beneficial for Elizabeth, and after several weeks with her parents the family set off to visit her brother, Richard. Richard and Sarah had just had their first baby and Elizabeth was delighted to find that little Lizzie had been named after her. Richard and Sarah also threw several parties for their guests, and to one came Sarah's brother, Hugh and his wife Amelia. Their daughter, Penelope was 21 months old and a delightful mixture of precociousness and fun. She was fascinated with the tiny baby her Uncle and Aunt- by- marriage had brought from America. Still small for his age Virgil was like a little doll.

Elizabeth was equally fascinated by the little girl, and that evening whispered to Jeff "Wouldn't you like a daughter?" Jeff was worried. The last baby had nearly cost his beloved wife her life. He was not going to take that risk again. "Don't you think three children under four is enough for any woman?" he teased her. But he could see that she was serious. "Oh Jeff! I'm quite well again now. I don't think anybody can have enough children. I'd like a full football team!" "What about that girl?" teased her husband. Elizabeth was indignant. "Jeff Tracy! Are you implying that girls cannot play football?" Jeff backpedaled fast. "No, no not at all," and with that he quickly ended the discussion with a passionate kiss that meant his wife did not wish to talk further!

Both of them were missing their older two boys and as Elizabeth was now quite well again they were soon on their way back to Tracy Island. The villa had been completed in their absence and reunited with their children it would be hard to find a more contented couple anywhere in the world.

Elizabeth resumed her painting on the return to the island. A talented musician and artist, she had let her gifts lie idle while she concentrated on her young family. Now with Rachel playing with the older boys and baby Virgil in his chair beside her she rediscovered her pleasure in these pursuits.

Elizabeth got her own way; Jeff could deny his young wife nothing! On Valentines Day when Scott was four years old the Tracy's fourth son arrived. Elizabeth had wanted a girl, but took one look at her red-haired son and fell in love. She recovered quickly from the birth, and laughed at the worries of the doctors. They had persuaded her to have the baby at a major hospital on the mainland because of the complications that had followed Virgil's birth. Jeff named the new baby Gordon and he was loved and welcomed by the whole family, on their return to Tracy Island.

With a new baby in the house, two-year-old Virgil increasingly joined his older brothers and Rachel on their daily outings around the island. It was an idyllic life for the three young boys. The island had beautiful sandy beaches and rocky coves with caves to explore. Rock pools were investigated and boulders climbed. It was clear all the Tracy boys were exceptionally bright for their age. Scott could already read and John knew all his letters. They quickly learnt the simple lessons Rachel taught them and developed interests of their own. In particular three-year-old John was fascinated by the moon, and would stand at the balcony watching it night after night, until Rachel or Elizabeth chased him off to bed.

It was a surprise to Elizabeth to find, four months after Gordon's birth, she was expecting again. Jeff had just left on a business trip when the familiar nausea of morning sickness made her suspect another young Tracy was on the way. She was delighted, and so was Jeff on his return. After Gordon's easy birth neither parent expected any problems this time and looked forward to the new baby. Towards the end of the pregnancy Elizabeth felt very tired, but surely that was to be expected with four lively young boys to look after, even with Rachel's capable assistance.

Two weeks before the baby was due Jeff and Elizabeth moved into a flat on the mainland, and when the labor started went to the same hospital Gordon had been born in. This time however things were very different, after a long and tiring labor things began to go wrong. An emergency operation followed, and the doctor came out to talk to Jeff. He was carrying a tiny baby in his arms.

"It's a boy, Jeff, but we're not out of the woods yet. You know that Elizabeth was very ill after Virgil's birth and it looks like the same trouble again. She's going to need another operation." The doctor turned handed over the baby, turned, and walked back towards the operating theatre. Jeff tore his eyes away from the tiny blond haired scrap in his arms.

"Dr Robinson, she is going to be alright, isn't she?" The doctor looked grave.

"It's too early to say, but if she pulls through then this is the last baby. I mean it Jeff. No more babies." Jeff nodded.

"Just save her doctor. Please."

The doctors did all they could. A nurse came and took the baby to the hospital nursery, where he was bathed and fed. Jeff waited, alone, outside the operating theatre. At last Dr Robinson came out.

"I'm sorry Jeff... she didn't make it. I'm so sorry"

The next few days were a blur to Jeff Tracy. He arranged for the funeral, and broke the news to Rachel. He asked her not to tell the boys. He would do that himself on his return. Rachel, fighting back the tears asked,

"Jeff, the baby? Did the baby die too?"

"Oh, the baby. No it lived. It's a boy," and with that Jeff hung up.

The day he was due to fly back to Tracy Island Jeff returned to the hospital. He collected his youngest son from the nurses and went straight to the airport. He stowed the cot carefully in the light jet, and took off for the short flight home. The baby slept through the whole trip. After landing Jeff carried the baby to Tracy Villa and handed him to the waiting Rachel. She looked at the two-week-old baby.

"Oh Jeff, he's gorgeous! What have you called him?" Jeff glanced at the basket.

"You name him, Rachel", and he walked towards the house and his waiting sons. To tell them the news their mother would never come home again.

Rachel named the baby Alan after her brother, and took over his care. Gordon was too young to grieve for long although for several agonizing weeks he called for Mama. The three older boys however missed their mother terribly. Scott, only five years old, seemed to grow up overnight and began looking after his brothers in a way that he was to for the rest of his life. John became withdrawn and introspective. A quiet blond ghost drifting around the house, but it was Virgil who missed her the most. Closest to his mother because of his early ill health, he had also inherited her musical ability. Whilst his brothers were off playing on the beach, he could often be found curled up in an armchair listening to his mother play the piano. Now he would sit there, listening to nothing.

Jeff devoted his time to his sons. He employed managers for his successful engineering companies and stayed at home. Yet he would not spend any time with baby Alan. While he knew the child was not responsible for his mother's death he could not bring himself to forgive the infant. If it wasn't for Alan, Elizabeth would still be alive. Rachel cared for the baby, a happy, bonnie child, who was easy to look after, but she could not interest his father in him at all. It took a bout of chicken pox to change his mind.

Alan was the only one of the boys not to get chicken pox. Rachel was relieved as she and Jeff were already stretched to the limit with four sick children. One night both Gordon and Virgil woke crying. Rachel sponged Gordon with calamine lotion and then handed him to Jeff who walked with him until he fell asleep.

Meanwhile Rachel cared for Virgil. Then John woke too and Rachel put both boys in the same bed and started to read to them. It was at this moment young Alan woke and started to cry for his feed. Scott, young as he was, understood that his father did not do anything for the baby of the family. He began to get up to find and give the baby his bottle. Suddenly his father lifted him and carried him back to bed. "Give me the bottle son. I'll do it." He took the bottle of milk and walked into Alan's nursery. The baby saw the bottle coming and stopped crying. A huge baby smile came over his face as his father approached and he raised his arms to be lifted.

The magic of baby smiles worked its usual spell. When Rachel came into the nursery after settling the other boys she found father and son happily playing. Jeff never looked back. In fact, although he would never have admitted it, Alan became his favorite son.

And so time moved on. When Scott was seven years old Jeff Tracy realized that he would have to go to school. He was an intelligent boy, absorbing knowledge like a sponge, and his father delighted in teaching him. However he took his position as eldest seriously, watching over his brothers like another adult. Much of Rachel's time was spent looking after the two younger boys and the older three enjoyed a life of freedom amongst the beaches and rocks of Tracy Island. John, a serious careful boy caused him little trouble but the same could not be said of Virgil, only 10 months younger than John. The lively youngster seemed to have a knack of getting into scrapes and Scott had to watch him all the time. Scott needed space to be with other boys his own age.

After much time searching Jeff found a small private school that seemed suitable and two months after his seventh birthday Scott set off for school with his father. The boy had not often left the Island before and was delighted by the whole trip. A few tears were inevitably shed when the time came for his father to depart but Scott entered into his new life intending to enjoy everything.

School was a great success. After one fight, which Scott won with ease, he became a popular member of his class. His intelligence meant it was easy for him to stay at the top of the class with out troubling himself with too much work. He had a natural aptitude for sport of all kinds, and without the responsibility of younger siblings to care for, entered into the fun and games without a care in the world.

His presence was missed on Tracy Island, especially by John. After six months it became apparent to Jeff that it was time for John to join his brother. John therefore began school at the start of the new year. Although two school years behind him in age John was moved up a year. A natural student, he made great progress at school, and whilst not as popular as Scott soon made friends and became part of the school community. The two older boys successful start to school made it natural that Virgil would join them at the start of the next year.

Tracy Island was quiet without them and both Rachel and Jeff looked forward to the holidays when the boys arrival home would make it appear as if there were fifty boys living there, not five! The holidays were not just spent on the island. Jeff would take the boys hiking and camping on the mainland, leaving the younger ones at home with Rachel, and one exciting year the whole family, including Rachel, went to England to spend the summer with their mother's family. They met not only their cousins Lizzie and Diana, the children of their mother's brother, but also Lizzie and Diana's cousin Penelope Creighton-Ward.

When Gordon was six he begged to be allowed to join his brothers at school and Jeff relented, although the others had not left home until they were seven. Gordon settled quickly, and soon began to show a natural prowess for swimming. The school recommended a coach and Gordon made great strides, winning the junior school swimming gala the first year he was at school.

The other boys were also beginning to show their individual talents. Scott had become fascinated by space exploration and had decided by the age of nine to become an astronaut like his father. John was also fascinated by space, but his interests were the stars themselves. It was this that got him into serious trouble at school. One night, determined to watch a lunar eclipse, he climbed onto the roof of the dormitory with his telescope to get a better view. Unfortunately he found climbing up easier than climbing back down again. The cold dissuaded him from sitting it out until morning and he had to resort to shouting. His cries woke the sleeping boys below him and they quickly fetched the teachers. The school authorities took a dim view of this escapade, as did Jeff, to whom it was reported. The result was that, amongst other punishments, his beloved telescope was confiscated.

This left young Alan alone on Tracy Island. Only five years old when Gordon left for school, Jeff would not consider his going too. The little boy was lost without his playmates, and despite all Rachel's efforts was very lonely. Jeff decided, the term after Gordon had begun school, to visit Europe, and Alan's unhappiness without his brothers made him decide to take the boy with him. Rachel would take a long overdue holiday to visit her brother and meet his fiancee.

They flew to Italy, and then drove through the mountains to France. After two weeks of leisurely touring they arrived in Paris. Jeff booked rooms for them in the Paris Hilton, and discovered to his surprise that an old friend, Kyrano, was head chef at the hotel. That evening Jeff invited Kyrano to his rooms.

The two friends were delighted to meet again and spent a happy hour filling in on each other's news. Kyrano was saddened to hear of Elizabeth's death, but pleased to meet young Alan. Then Jeff had a proposal to make to Kyrano.

"I really need some more help on Tracy Island. With five boys to care for, Rachel and I are finding it difficult to manage all the domestic chores as well. What we need is a chef and housekeeper." Kyrano looked at his old friend.

"I would love to come but there is something you must know first. Come with me." Brimming with curiosity Alan followed his father and Kyrano to the part of the hotel where the domestic staff lived. They were led to a door on the second floor. Kyrano opened the door and led the way in. Alan looked around and saw a beautiful sitting room, decorated in eastern style and then he saw the little girl. A year or so older than him, she had long black hair and huge dark eyes.

"Hello, father. You're up early. Who are you?" This last was addressed to Alan, whom she had just caught sight of. Alan, for once, was lost for words.

"Er..I'm Alan," he stammered. Kyrano smiled at his daughter. "Tin-Tin, this is my old friend Jeff Tracy, and his youngest son Alan." "Hello Tin-Tin" smiled Jeff. The little girl put out her hand and Jeff shook it gravely. "Hello Mr. Tracy" she replied.

Later, the children settled in bed, the two men discussed the situation. "You see Mr. Tracy, my wife also died, leaving me with my beautiful Tin-Tin to care for. I cannot leave her to come and work for you." Jeff was shocked. "Of course not. Tin-Tin must come too. It will do my boys good to have a girl around, and she can go to school with the older ones." So it was arranged. Kyrano would leave the Paris Hilton and go and live on Tracy Island with his daughter.

Jeff and Alan went on to England to spend time with Elizabeth's relations. Alan again met his cousins and their cousin Penelope, but he did not find the three little girls as much fun as he had the pretty dark haired Tin-Tin. His own cousins were rather silly, empty-headed children, and Penelope, four years older than him, treated him as a baby and beneath her notice.

Jeff and Alan's return to the island found the Kyrano's already installed, and the weary travelers benefited immediately from Kyrano's efficiency. Within a month Jeff could not imagine how they had ever managed without him. Rachel agreed with this opinion on her return, finding that she could concentrate on the children without having to worry about the domestic arrangements for the family. She took Tin-Tin under her wing and the little girl benefited at last from having a mother figure in her life.

Alan and Tin-Tin spent a glorious summer on the Island before the other boys came home for the summer holidays. They soon became firm friends and this was the basis of the close bond between them that was to last throughout their lives.

There are many stories from the six children's schooldays but these are not chronicled here. Suffice it to say that first Tin-Tin and then Alan joined the others at school. Alan caused Scott a few headaches as a junior when he, Scott, was head boy. Scott moved on in due course to Christ's College, and was succeeded as head boy by John. Virgil missed the honor due to an inspired fit of mischief, which resulted in himself, Gordon and two other boys having to be rescued by the local coastguard from the sea cliffs near the school. Eventually both John and Virgil joined Scott at Christ's College, leaving the two younger boys at Manor House.

It was in 2054, when Scott was nearly 16 and young Alan 10 that the next big change came to the Tracy family. The change that was to provide the catalyst for their lives work in International Rescue.

Soon after the start of the school summer term Rachel received a letter from her brother Alan and his wife. She read it to Jeff over coffee that very morning. "Alan and Lucy are expecting a baby! After all this time of trying! They did not tell anyone until now because of Lucy's miscarriages in the past, but all is going well and they want me to go and stay until the baby is born. Lucy has to take things very easy at the moment." "You must go Rachel!" was Jeff's immediate reply. "Goodness knows you must be owed several years of holidays by now. I don't think you've had any time off since Alan and I went to Europe!" Rachel smiled. "I don't think I have, but you know I don't think of my life as work. I love living here, and bringing up the boys and Tin-Tin. Anyway, if I went the holidays would be on us before I got back. What would you all do!" "I think we'd cope, Rachel. Scott is nearly 16 now and even Alan is 10. John and Virgil have both grown into sensible boys, although I did have my doubts about Virgil at one time. I just hope Gordon and Alan follow his example! Two more mischievous, irresponsible boys would be hard to find anywhere. But even with those two home for the holidays Kyrano and I, with the help of the older ones, should be able to manage! Go on, have your holiday, just remember it is a holiday and don't work too hard! Take your sister-in -law on a few outings, and enjoy yourself." Rachel thought about it all day and that night at supper announced she had made up her mind.

"I will go. Thank-you for making it possible. I'll write to the boys and Tin-Tin so they know I'll not be here for the holidays, and if you can take me to the mainland I'll leave as soon as possible."

Jeff flew Rachel to the mainland in his private jet, and saw her onto the airliner that was to take her to England where her brother and his wife lived. He then returned to Tracy Island. That night after dinner he switched the television on to watch the news. The headlines where horrifying. An airliner on the way to Britain had crashed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Ships and planes were being sent to the rescue zone but it was clear that they would not arrive in time to rescue any survivors. This proved to be the case. The remote area of the crash, and the fact that the aircrafts navigation system had been faulty meant it took two days to locate the crash site. The wreckage had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. When divers arrived and went down to the site a scene of horror met their eyes. It was immediately apparent that many of the passengers had survived the crash only to become trapped inside the fuselage of the plane. This had sunk and the survivors had slowly suffocated. Rachel had been on the plane.

Jeff Tracy felt helpless. His engineering companies had made him one of the richest men in the world yet he could not prevent the death of the woman who had been a mother to his children. They would now have to be told of Rachel's death.

He went first to Christ's College and requested an interview with Scott, John and Virgil. As soon as the boys saw their father's face they knew it was bad news and Scott guessed right away. "The plane that crashed into the Atlantic, it was Rachel's plane wasn't it." His father nodded unable to tell his sons for the second time that the woman they saw as their mother was dead. Scott turned away from his father, unwilling at 16 years old, to let him see the tears that had begun to fall unbidden from his eyes. Virgil turned towards his father and wept in his arms. The boy's earliest memory was the day his father had told him his mother was dead. Now it had happened again. John, 14 years old, fought for dignity, and failed. As their father comforted his sons, his thoughts turned to the younger boys. They did not remember their own mother. Rachel was the only mother they knew.

Jeff arranged for his sons to return to Tracy Island for two weeks, and then set off for Manor House. Gordon was distraught and wept unrestrainedly, but Alan received the news in a frozen silence. Jeff was glad to be able to bring both boys home at once. Back on Tracy Island Tin-Tin joined them from St. Martin's Girls School and the family grieved together for their lost friend. All except Alan. He seemed unable to express his grief and alone amongst the family had not wept for Rachel's loss. After a fortnight the older boys and Tin-Tin returned to school, but Jeff decided the two younger ones should remain at home for another week.

He was particularly worried about Alan. The boy continued sad and silent, but still the tears did not come. Jeff tried to talk to him about Rachel but Alan's answers were monosyllabic and unhelpful. In the end Jeff decided to give him some more time. Rachel had been his mother, and he had to come to terms with her loss. One day, about a week after his brothers had gone back, Alan did not come in for lunch. Gordon told his father that he thought his brother was on the beach, so Jeff went looking. The boy was not there. After an exhaustive search by Jeff, Kyrano and Gordon, Alan was discovered at the top of a cliff overlooking a sandy bay on the far side of the island. Sending the others home Jeff climbed to the top of the cliff.

"We were worried about you, son," he said quietly, sitting down beside the boy. "Sorry." The reply was automatic, without feeling and Jeff bit down an angry retort. He was rewarded for his forbearance when the boy went on. "She used to bring us here you know, especially when the others had gone to school. We would pack a picnic and come on an expedition across the island." He turned to his father, who took him in his arms, and at last, in a rush, the healing tears came.

Gordon and Alan returned to school the following week, and a month later the family were all home again for the summer holidays. Things were not the same; they would never be the same again. Jeff discussed with Kyrano, Tin-Tin and his sons about the possibility of getting more domestic help. They were all adamant that Rachel should not be replaced. In the end Jeff agreed, but invited his mother to come and stay for the rest of the holidays, to help Kyrano with the domestic chores created by six children. The boys and Tin-Tin organized a rota of jobs to help out.

Normally Gordon and Alan could be relied on to get into at least one pickle a day during the holidays, and in the past Rachel had had to exercise much ingenuity to keep all but the worst escapades from their father. This year was different. Scott and John kept a close eye on both boys, and neither had the heart for much mischief. The summer passed therefore with a minimum of trouble and the start of the autumn term saw Alan returning to Manor House alone as Gordon had joined his brothers at Christ's College. Tin-Tin was to go to Rodean in England for the next two years and would be spending all but the long summer holidays with Richard and Sarah in Leicestershire.

With his large family scattered again, Jeff began to put into action a plan that had been in his mind ever since Rachel's plane crash. He realized that money and expertise was going into development of ever faster, bigger and more efficient developments without there being any research into the rescue service. A rescue service that would ignore political boundaries and rescue people in peril regardless of color, creed, or ability to pay.

At first Jeff tried to interest the governments for the major world countries in this rescue service but he soon realized that they were not interested in international co-operation, and would only consider a service that benefited their own nationals. After much thought Jeff Tracy decided he would do it himself. He would found a rescue service based at Tracy Island that would help in the event of any emergency, be it on land, at sea, in the air, or even in space! It would be called International Rescue.

The rest, as they say is history! Jeff needed help to develop the machines he would need. His own engineering firms would help provide the parts and the many volcanic caves in the island would provide the hangers and workshops necessary. His mind went back to a young man, who could not be much older than his eldest son, whom he had seen giving a lecture the previous year. He went by the unlikely name of Hiram K. Hackenbacker, but he had the most original mind that Jeff had ever met. Jeff arranged a meeting under the cover of Tracy Engineering, and after deciding he could trust the young man, put his idea to him. Hiram, or Brains as Jeff soon began calling him, agreed to work on the project and returned to Tracy Island with Jeff.

Possibly if either Jeff or Brains knew how long it would take to get International Rescue operational they would not have continued with the project. By the time the first International Rescue craft was ready to fly, Scott was a young man of twenty-two, and he test flew Thunderbird One himself. He was at this time a pilot in the US air force, and had recently become their main test pilot. John had joined the Space Agency and was soon to sit his final exams to become an astronaut. Virgil had won a place at the prestigious Denver School of Advanced Technology. Gordon, although still at school, had competed in the Olympics becoming the youngest person ever to win the gold medal in the butterfly. He had applied to train as an aquanaut when he left school next year. Alan still had two years at school left, and he wanted to be a racing driver. A joy ride in a visitors sports car, rashly left outside school with the keys in had resulted in a broken arm, more trouble than he could ever remember being in before, and a desire to race at the top level. He had finally gained entry to the world schoolboy Go-Cart races, and had won every class in his age group.

All the boys watched the test flight, which was a huge success, and Jeff hoped International Rescue would be running by the end of the following year. That was not to be the case however. Thunderbird Two caused Brains many headaches before he discovered the idea of interchangeable pods to carry the equipment the rescuers would need. In all it was another four years before International Rescue was ready to become operational.

During these years the Tracy boys all excelled at their own pursuits. Scott was decorated for valor for the rescue of two fellow pilots during his career in the US Air Force. John had already had the first of what would be many books on astronomy published. Virgil had spent the last two years working full time with Brains to get International Rescue up and running. He still managed to find time to paint and play the piano. Gordon was seriously injured in a hydrofoil crash the year before the launch of International Rescue, and for two worrying weeks there was doubt whether he would ever walk again, let alone pilot the underwater craft Brains had been designing for him. Fortunately, after four months in hospital, and a further six months of physiotherapy the young man made a complete recovery. He did not return to the World Aquanaut Security Patrol, for whom he had been working before the accident, preferring to remain on the island and help Brains, Virgil and his father on International Rescue.

Alan was still at college and Jeff had worried at first if he should complete his education before joining the rest of the family, but it was all too clear that Alan's interests were not academic. He had many achievements to his name, and none of them were educational! Despite the intelligence that characterized all the Tracy brothers Alan had no interest in his college work. He spent more time at Parolla Sands than in the lecture hall, and was in fact in danger of being sent down at the end of the year. So Alan joined the rest of the family when International Rescue finally became operational in 2065.