Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.
SPOILER ALERT! Contains scenes and spoilers from Alien Alert: The Movie.
Chapter 1
"I'm telling you, Sam, I saw a real UFO! It had lights, and it flew right past me!"
I exhaled heavily, hoping that my brother couldn't hear me over the phone. Not again, Charlie! This is the third apparent UFO you've spotted this week!
I was sitting at my computer inside the fire station's Main Room. While it wasn't private, unlike Station Officer Steele's desk in the Control Room, it was a vast improvement on what I used to have. Even since the new fire station had been built a year ago, I'd started to wonder how I'd ever managed before I'd been given a space of my own. You see, even though I am on the front line during emergencies as lead fireman, I now also sometimes take on the role of a Sub Officer. Although that role is unofficial because the Pontypandy fire service is so small, in many ways it is slowly preparing me to take over as Station Officer, when the time comes, of course. Unfortunately, my increasing responsibilities also mean a vast increase in the amount of paperwork I have to do. Tonight, I had a mountain of reports I needed to scan into the computer system, so they could be emailed to HQ. I was about a third of the way through the reports, when Charlie had phoned. I thought it had been a minor emergency. Instead, he'd just told me all about another UFO he'd seen.
"That's great, Charlie," I muttered as I picked up another report from the pile, and placed it into the scanner. "Perhaps you should try and get a photo of it next time?"
I heard a soft 'slap', and I guessed that Charlie had face-palmed himself. "A photo! Of course! Now, why didn't I think of that?"
Because you were too busy chasing after lights in the sky? "Listen, Charlie, I-"
"Why don't you come out with me tomorrow night, Sam, and then I can show you that I'm not making this up?"
"I never said you were Charlie. Now, listen. I-"
At that moment, the station's alarms went off. I automatically leapt to my feet.
"Sorry, Charlie, but I have to go. Emergency."
I hung up my mobile phone without giving him a chance to reply. After I'd thrust the phone into my pocket, I ran towards the nearest fireman's pole. Penny was right behind me.
"Norman Price has fallen into the river, and is being swept downstream!" Station Officer Steele announced over the loudspeakers as I slid down the pole. Elvis slid down the other pole, and he ran over to us.
While I put on my firefighting uniform over my station uniform, I quickly decided which vehicles we'd need for this rescue. As soon as I had my uniform on, I glanced at the vehicle selection board on the wall. Station Officer Steele had selected Venus, Hydrus and Saturn as the vehicles for us to take. All the data from the vehicle selection was sent straight to HQ, for their records, so it was important to only take the vehicles selected on the board.
"I'll take Hydrus," I said as I clipped on my helmet. "Penny? Elvis? You follow in Venus!"
"Rodger that, Sam!" Penny and Elvis replied in unison as they ran towards Venus.
I ran over to Hydrus, and I climbed in. Once I'd put on my life-vest, I drove Hydrus out of the garage. Venus quickly caught up, and together, we headed out of town towards the old mill. It was a foggy night, so I knew we'd definitely need to use Saturn.
"You head up to the bridge and launch Saturn," I instructed Penny and Elvis over the radio. "I'll head downstream. We can use Saturn's heat-seeking cameras to look for his body heat," I added as I turned Hydrus off the main road.
A moment later, I drove Hydrus straight into the river, and I let her drift downstream with the current. It's quite a strong current. I hope Norman hasn't drifted too far downstream.
"Launching Saturn now, Sam," Penny informed me over the radio.
As I drove Hydrus further downstream, I keep my eyes peeled, looking for any signs of Norman. Then, Penny radioed me again.
"We can see him, Sam! He's just upstream, and heading towards you!"
I turned Hydrus around. There was still no sign of Norman. "I still can't see him," I reported via the radio.
"He's grabbed a branch, Sam," Elvis said. "Just ahead of you."
I drove Hydrus back upstream. Sure enough, there was Norman, clinging desperately to an overhanging tree branch. I drove towards him.
"I see him!" And I put my radio down. "I'm coming, Norman!"
"I can't hold on!" Norman panted as I got closer. "My hands are slipping!" He let go of the branch, and he started to drift back into the current. "Heeelp!"
I drove Hydrus around in front of Norman, to stop him floating any further downstream.
"Heelp!" Norman screamed again, just as I grabbed hold of him.
"I've got him!" I radioed to Penny and Elvis as I pulled him safely aboard Hydrus with my left arm. "Norman is safe and sound!"
I pushed Norman onto the backseat. "There's a life-vest under the seat, Norman," I told him. "Put it on, please."
"Yes, Fireman Sam," Norman replied, and he did so.
I started to drive Hydrus back upstream. "How on earth did you end up in the river anyway?"
"I saw a flying-saucer! It was huge! And it had blinking coloured lights and everything!"
Oh, dear! Not another one!
"And then I tripped over the edge of the bridge, and I fell into the river," Norman added quietly.
"You should always watch where you're going, Norman, especially in the dark."
"I know, Fireman Sam."
I drove Hydrus on to the riverbank near the mill. Penny looked like she was helping Dilys stand up.
"Is Dilys all right?" I asked Penny as I parked Hydrus behind Venus.
"She's fine, Sam," Penny replied. "She just fainted, that's all."
I helped Norman get down from Hydrus, and I removed his life-vest. "Why did you stop here, Dilys?" I wondered. "Did you see the flying-saucer too?"
Dilys looked confused. "What flying-saucer?"
"The one I was telling you about while you were looking for the torch!" Norman exclaimed. "It was hovering right above our car!"
"Norman Price!" Dilys scolded. "That is quite enough! There's no way you could have seen a flying-saucer! Now, get back inside the car and wait while I see if I can figure out what's wrong with it."
"Having car trouble then, Dilys?" I asked.
"Uh, well, yes, Sam. It just stopped, and I don't know why."
"I'll take a look at it," Penny offered, and she made her way around to the front of the car. I went over to Venus to fetch a heavy-duty torch.
"Oh, no, it's quite all right," Dilys insisted. "Norman and I were just going to walk to Aunty Phyllis'."
"I wouldn't advise that, Dilys," I said, as I held the torch up, so that Penny could see the car's engine bay properly. "It's too foggy tonight for you to be walking out on the road."
"Yes, we don't want to have to rescue you, as well as Norman," Penny added. "Well, I can't see anything wrong with the engine. You'll have to get Joe to take a look at it, I'm afraid."
Knowing Dilys, it's probably something simple, like... "When did you last refill it, Dilys?"
"Refill it?"
"Yes. With fuel."
"Oh! Um...well... I think it was a while ago..."
I chuckled. "Elvis? Can you fetch the spare fuel can from Venus, please? Don't worry, Dilys. We'll soon have you back on your way again."
"Oh, thank you, Fireman Sam!" Dilys said gratefully. She looked around. "Now, where has Norman got to?"
"I'm in the car, mum!" Norman replied. "Like you told me to."
"Oh! But you're all wet! Get out of the car now, Norman!"
"Make up your mind, mum!" Norman complained as he got out again.
"I'll go and fetch a blanket for him," Penny offered.
Elvis handed me the fuel can, and I started pouring the fuel into the fuel tank. Penny wrapped a blanket around Norman's shoulders.
"Stay out of the river from now on," she advised.
"There we go!" I said once the fuel can had drained. "Try starting the car now, Dilys."
Dilys turned the key, and the car stuttered into life. "It works! Oh! Thank you, Fireman Sam! Now, we can get to Auntie Phyllis'."
"Oh, mum!" Norman whined, and he folded his arms crossly. "Why can't we just go home?"
Penny, Elvis and I chuckled.
"We'll leave you to it now, Dilys," I said with a small wave. "Good luck!"