I've thought long and hard about submitting this for viewing and finaly taken the leap. I've always writen for my own pleasure all my life - as no doubt we all do, so i trust you will bear with me. I recently found some tales I wrote many years ago and decided to update them. This is one of them.

I grew up with the Tracy Boys, and loved every minute of their adventures. I've found that love again, and wish to share this.

Thank you for reading.

Earth; third planet of the star named Sol and home to the human race. A young race by many standards; slowly making its stumbling way through the hazards of existence and out into the reaches of space. In orbit around the planet were many objects, some forgotten and abandoned, others still in use. Only one was carefully hidden to all scanning devices on the planet, except to those who also shared it's secret.

Thunderbird 5 turned slowly as it orbited the blue/green jewel that was the Earth. Inside, the only occupant was currently watching the depths of space through a telescope. Every now and then, he would pause and make a few notes on a pad beside himself, before fixing his eye once more to the eyepiece, a contented smile on his face. The sudden shrill of an alarm setting off, jerked him from his quiet review and had him running to the main console. Nimble fingers, use to having run the keys so many times before, danced over the console until an image was displayed on the main screen. A large meteoroid – roughly about 20 – 30 feet had entered the scanner range and was heading towards the earth. A few seconds later he had the impact location.

"Oh boy"

On a lush tropical island in the Pacific, dawn was just breaking. But Jefferson Tracy had been up for an hour already. Old habits died hard, and having been forced to raise a family and hold down fulltime work after the death of his beloved wife, he was normally up before the larks. As he sipped his coffee at his desk, he read over the internet news.

On the wall in front of him, the picture of his son John started to flash. Jeff was a little surprised at such an early call, but none the less, he flipped the button to open the holo-channel to the space-station.

"Morning John, what's wrong?"

"Morning dad, scanners have just picked up a rather large meteoroid heading towards Tracy Island. Thought you'd like to know"

"That's pretty serious. Where will it hit?" Already his mind was starting to race about waking the rest of the house and would they have time to get to the shelters. John's gaze looked off to one side as he worked the instruments at his end.

"Impact should be about half a mile off shore; sending through the co-ordinates now."

Jeff ripped off the emerging paper strip and nodded.

"I'll keep everyone inside until it lands. It's going to make one heck of a noise when it does hit; any signs of it breaking up?"

On board the station, John checked more instruments and the scanners. The meteoroid had reached the upper atmosphere of earth. As he watched it, his eyes widen slightly, Jeff noticed.

"What's wrong John?"

"I…I don't think it's a meteoroid Dad... it just altered its angle for re-entry"

Jeff whistled slightly under his breath.

"Can you plot its trajectory back John, where did it come from"

"FAB"

A few more seconds of stabbing at buttons and they had there answer.

"It originates outside our Solar system"

"Seems, we have visitors; Thanks John, I'll wake the others and keep you posted"

Ten minutes later, Jeff watched from the balcony with his four other sons as the glowing object crashed into the ocean off-shore. The sea around it exploded into steam with the sudden intense heat, and it was some minutes before they could see what had landed. What they could see of the object, was a roughly pointed section, jutting out of the water a little off shore.

Scott and Virgil headed down to the small jetty and set off in the boat to try and bring the object to land. Meanwhile the others made there way down to the shore.

Virgil cut the motor as they drew alongside the object, this close to it they could see it was silver in colour and showed no signs of being subjected to any form of heat. In fact no warmth radiated from the surface at all. Scott's wrist com buzzed and he toggled it on.

"We've reached the craft father, doesn't show any signs of being damaged from what I can see. Short of going in the water – which I'm not before you say anything – it'll have to wait until we can get it ashore"

Virgil was attempting to attach a magnetic clamp to the nearest piece of the object, but it just kept falling off.

"Clamps not working Scott, I'm going to try and get a line round that crest"

"Just be careful Virgil"

Five minutes later, the two men had a secure line round what resembled a crest and Scott turned the boat towards the shore.