AU; TAG verse and OC are my own. Happy Halloween!
"Oh, this is going to be awesome! Start recording Sam."
"On it Zack, and, we're recording."
"Right, follow me down and watch your footing, we don't want any accidents."
"I'm right behind you. Think we'll see anything?"
Sam lowered herself down on a harness, "who can say? The locals avoid this area so there must be something good here."
The two landed and switched their camera lights on, they made sure the ropes were still secure then unclipped themselves from the harnesses, Sam turned towards Zack and smiled.
"Today on hunters, we explore this abandoned mine, locals around this area and we want to know why. We're looking for anything which might account for why no-one comes here, Zack and I aren't leaving until we find evidence of life."
Zack gave her thumbs up, "right, let's go down this way. Wow, the old rails are still intact."
"I wonder how far these tracks go?" Sam turned the torch down and shone the light across the rails leading into a dark passage, "let's follow them."
"You're the boss," Zack changed the camera light to night vision and the display flickered, "that was weird."
"What was?"
"Oh nothing, let's keep going."
Sam felt a chill on her neck and sighed, "don't be a jerk."
"What are you talking about?"
"Blowing down my neck, very mature."
"Sam, I'm nowhere near you."
Sam turned and saw Zack walk around the corner, "something blew on my neck just now."
"There's probably a gap to the outside somewhere, besides, we're down here for the weird and unknown," Zack smiled.
Sam nodded, "yeah, I guess...Look out!" She pulled Zack backwards as an old mine cart hurtled past them almost knocked them over, it collided into two support beams which brought the ceiling down on front of them, "Zack?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"We're trapped, and no-one knows where we are."
Zack wrapped his around her, "I'm going to try and send a GPS signal on the emergency frequency, there's always someone out there."
On the other side of the world, music soared out an open lounge tucked into a cliff house, Virgil Tracy was sitting at the black piano watching his two youngest brothers playing pool, Scott walked in with his arm around Kayo and smiled.
"Who's winning?"
Gordon grinned, "it was all square until I just shot those."
Virgil smirked as he played a complicated glissando, "yeah all square, it was never all square. Alan has been beating you for ages."
John called in from Thunderbird 5, "we have a situation."
"I thought it was a little too quiet around here," Scott walked down into the sofa ring.
"Not unless you count Virgil's playing," Gordon shrugged as he leant on his cue.
Virgil scowled, "I didn't exactly hear you complaining about it."
"Alright alright. John, what's the situation?" Scott asked.
"Two teenagers are trapped down a mine, South Wales in the UK. They say an old cart was pushed towards them and it's crashed into two beams holding up the ceiling above them."
"Any injuries?"
"No thankfully, but they're pretty shaken up."
Scott hummed thoughtfully, "I'll go ahead in Thunderbird 1, Virgil, follow in Thunderbird 2 and bring some company."
Virgil nodded, "FAB."
Alan hopped on the spot as Virgil pushed the piano stool back with his foot, "please Virg, let me go? A mine sounds awesome!"
"I'm coming too then," Gordon pouted.
"Just work it out guys, Thunderbirds are go!" Scott smiled from where he was stood against the wall.
Virgil sighed as he leant back on the rocket portrait, "come on then you two, see you on Thunderbird 2."
They took off and plotted a route for Wales, Scott pushed his ship forwards to full throttle and left the transporter craft behind, oceans passed under him for miles, until at last, land appeared and Thunderbird 1 turned to the Welsh coast.
"John, I've arrived at, umm I can't pronounce it," Scott smirked with slight embarrassment.
John laughed, "it's called Cefn Coed, they weren't lying when they said no-one visits anymore."
"I can confirm that," Scott swung Thunderbird 1 round and landed on the site, "did they say how far they've gone down?"
"Two hundred feet. I'll tell Virgil to prepare the Mole pod, you can't get to them Scott, not on your own."
"FAB, I'll look for an escape route," Scott hopped down from the ship, "Thunderbird 1 out."
Thunderbird 2's engines echoed around the valley as she approached the danger zone, Virgil looked down at his brother's ship and fired the VTOL boosters to take her down, Gordon took the stairs to the module and configured the Mole as he felt the struts hit the ground.
"Gordo, can I come down with you?" Alan ran up beside him.
"No, I need to make a clear path for you guys, stay up here for the two to come up."
Alan pouted, "but I want to help."
"You'll be helping us more by staying here," Virgil interrupted as he came down to retrieve the exo-suit, "we don't know what it's like down there."
"Fine."
Gordon leapt up into the pod, "why do these hang here bro?" He asked hitting the green dice playfully.
"Don't tease, let's go," Virgil rolled his shoulders back as the ramp fell forwards with a thud, he ran out as Gordon followed in the Mole and Alan watched them leave with a sigh.
Scott smiled as Virgil approached him, "let's abseil down there, Gordon needs to go down further back or the cave will collapse in on itself."
Virgil nodded, "understood, I'll tell Gordon. Get yourself strapped in," he raised his arm, "Gordon?"
"Yeah? I'm standing by."
"Don't come down where we are, we need an exit route."
"If I tunnel in from here I can come up below you guys, does that sound like a plan?" Gordon asked frowning slightly.
"Go for it, good luck and please don't crash into us," Virgil smiled, "Thunderbird 2 out."
The Mole disappeared underground and Scott abseiled down followed by Virgil, they reached the bottom where two ropes lay cut on the ground, their ends sliced into shreds, Scott grabbed Virgil's arm and pointed down, Virgil clicked his torch on following his brother's gaze.
"This isn't natural, the ropes look as if they've been ripped at the ends, and not by them. You would need a knife to slice these."
Virgil nodded, "or something sharper. The sooner we find these explorers the better, keep close to me so I can light the path ahead, the electrics haven't worked for years down here."
"FAB Virgil."
Up above ground, Alan decided to venture out, he walked over to the hole the Mole had left and kicked a stone in wondering how far to the bottom the vehicle had gone but heard a grumble, he looked down and spotted a flash of eyes before a scurry of feet echoed from below.
"Woah, what on earth?" Alan ran to the next hole hoping to see it again, but nothing, he touched his comms and called John.
"What's the matter Alan?"
"Have you got a signal on Virgil and Scott?"
"Of course, and Gordon's signal is moving towards the explorers. Why?"
"I thought I saw something down there."
John rolled his eyes, "please don't start, there are no such things as ghosts."
"I don't think this was a ghost John, I think it was a demon."
"Enough Alan, concentrate on the mission at hand. Thunderbird 5 out."
"John? John!? Urgh!" Alan kicked the ground in frustration, his older brother never believed him, so who else would?
Meanwhile, Virgil and Scott had found the two explorers and freed them from the wooden beam across their legs.
"We have to leave, now," Sam panted, "it wants us out. We have footage."
Scott sighed, "the transport will be here soon, what wants us out?"
"We don't know, it's been stalking us ever since we called you."
There was a rustle of earth and the Mole emerged, Gordon flipped the roof off and jumped out almost falling into Virgil's arms catching the artist by surprise.
"Gordon, what's wrong?"
"That was a weird ride up there, everything went mad. You can drive back," Gordon clutched Virgil's arms.
"And how are you getting back up there then?"
"I'll walk, I'm not getting back in the pod bro, I was nearly killed."
Scott glared at him in confusion, "killed?"
Gordon nodded, "it was terrifying, something jumped out in front of me in an underground tunnel, a skin creature with glowing eyes."
Scott nodded, "let's get back to the surface, I've had enough of this mine. Abseil up with me Gordon, and Virgil, take the teenagers up one at a time."
"FAB," Virgil opened up the pod, "who wants to come up first?"
Zack pushed Sam forwards, "I'll abseil up with your brothers."
"We found your ropes torn up under the hole," Scott frowned, "I think you should go in the Mole."
"it's fine, I have another harness, let's get out of here," Zack persisted, "I want to analyse this footage."
Sam climbed into the back of the Mole pod smiling at the dice as Virgil slipped into the driver's seat, "he's just scared, to be honest I don't blame him."
Virgil hit the reverse button and the drill began to move, "what did you two see exactly?"
Sam shook her head, "I can't explain it. I felt something blow down my neck to begin with, and then we just heard growls and demonic noises, but we couldn't move due to the beams."
Virgil looked back at her and smiled sympathetically as tears rolled her cheeks, "you're alright now Sam, and Zack will be fine too. Don't worry ok?"
Sam nodded as she wiped tears away hastily, "sorry, he's my brother, I worry about him constantly."
"I know what that's like, believe me. We're approaching the surface now."
The Mole returned to Thunderbird 2 and Alan ran over to help Sam out, he let go of her hand then frantically pulled Virgil aside.
"Virgil, there's something down there, where are Scott and Gordon?"
"Alan, calm down, they're abseiling up with the boy."
"I saw something run down the shaft, it disappeared before I could film it."
"Alright, we'll look into it, for now take Sam up to the cockpit and check her over, I'll get over to the escape hole to wait for the others to return," Virgil left the jaws in the module and ran over to the hole where he had gone down an hour or so earlier, he heard voices suddenly but someone was missing. A grapple line was fired up and Virgil stood back as Scott came up with Zack, each of them was covered in dust and Zack had a cut on his cheek.
"Get him into Thunderbird 2, quickly," Scott pushed the young boy towards Virgil.
"Scott, where's Gordon?"
Scott looked up tearfully which startled Virgil immensely, "it took him."