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This series originally aired in 2021.

It's 8.30 p.m. on July 6th and the rain is back making powdering sounds on the park ranger station outside the Tomahawk cave.

But inside, major general Hodges, head of the American Special Ops group, are the notices.

He's too busy looking over the whiteboard and maps spread across a series of folding tables.

It details the plans for an elaborate rescue, the riskiest and most complex ever attempted in cave diving history.

It's been 14 days since 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing inside the cave.

Now, auction levels are running low and there are monsoons in the forecast. If they stand a chance of getting them out, they need to act now.

But before Hodges can set the plan in motion, he needs to get permission from the Thai government.

Thai officials are on their way now. If they agree, they'll recommend the plan to the Thai Prime Minister and the King for Final approval.

Hodges knows this mission is the boys only chance it's survival. This meeting has to go well.

This is it boys, remember, some of this information will be new to them. We need to be crystal clear. There is no other option.

Hodges and his team stand up as the minister enters with his entourage. It includes officers of the King's Guard, the head of the Thai Navy Seals and Governor Naranseh, who heads up the region.

Their faces are serious and tired, but their eyes are alert. The minister is a serious man with rimless glasses. He looks like a cross between a math professor and a business executive. He speaks firmly.

No phones, no leaks. It's not a request. It's a command.

When everyone is settled, the minister speaks again. Well, Major Hodges, I'm here. Now, tell me why we would take the risk of diving the boys out when we can try to keep them alive by waiting out the rain.

Hodges' voice is calm as he relays the facts.

Minister, the conditions in the cave are getting worse. We can't keep the boys alive in the cave through the rains, but we have a plan. We think we can dive them out. It's a high-risk operation with a low chance of success, but this is the best plan we've got.

The room is quiet, faces grim, and then Governor Naranseh speaks. Major Hodges, how would you define success? Success, in my opinion, is if we can get just one child back to his parents.

He lets his answers sink in, then continues. Minister, we'd like to formally ask the Thai government for permission to proceed.

The tension is thick as the room waits for the minister to speak. Hodges knows this is an incredibly difficult decision. The government has told the world the only acceptable risk is no risk at all.

If anything goes wrong, the minister will likely lose his career, and worse, he'll have to live with the decision that led to the death of several young boys. Finally, he looks up.

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