Thunderbirds Are Go!
The Fires of Mars
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This story is set a year after the Thunderbirds Are Go finale.
- One-
2060
Man's fascination with Mars never waned as Man entered a future of impressive technological achievements. Since Jeff Tracy set foot on the red planet, Mankind strived in discovering the secrets and mysteries that the red planet concealed. The International Space Control, an organisation set up by the World Government, dedicated its time and resources into maintaining regulations that controlled the space lanes which circled the Earth and the rest of the Solar System. Since then, a new branch had been set up with the intention of colonising Mars. The project took off at a lightning pace with promising results. Shortly after a few supplies ships had arrived, a spaceship carrying colonists was launched. The ship known as The Helius ran into difficulties on her voyage to the red planet. With the help of Captain Lee Taylor and International Rescue, the ship managed to make it safely to its destination. Lee Taylor decided to remain behind and assist the colony in its research.
International Rescue returned to the Red Planet when the Captain found himself trapped in a Martian Cavern when a rock-slide caught them off guard. They arrived with a specialist that could help the save the Captain, but the circumstances took a turn for the worst which put one of their lives at great risk. Fate was on their side, however. As soon as he was rescued, Taylor realised that Mars was a dangerous world for geological reasons. In months that followed International Rescue's last visit, the colony began its expansion. Another Helius transporter arrived with two colonist families. They used their resources to build another station on the far side of the planet. They named this station "Phobos Base" after the Martian Moon itself. It was built in a specific location to observe a strange geological series of rock formations that they hoped to collect for mineral study.
Then one day, Phobos Base was destroyed by a mysterious explosion. Captain Taylor mounted a rescue team to search for survivors. He managed to save most of the colonists there, but tragically, the fire claimed one of the many families that resided there. Nobody knew the official cause of the explosion, but Taylor wanted answers. One night, he set out to explore the remains of Phobos Base. He couldn't find any signs of foul play nor the remains of an explosive device. However, the true culprit observed him from the rocks above. Taylor spotted something moving up on the rocks above him. Apart from a shifting shadow, all he could see was a bright red light, shining down on him. The light silently glided through the darkness of space as it followed his every movement. He realised that his colony wasn't the only inhabitants of this planet. Returning to base, he made a report to the ISC on Earth. They gave him strict orders never to disclose this incident to the other colonists. He never did to this day.
2061
A year ago, The Tracy brothers brought their father home from his imprisonment in space. Although the momentous event would forever change the family, they never really knew how to celebrate it. International Rescue continued to thrive under the direction of Jeff Tracy. The boys along with their adoptive sister, Kayo spent their days saving lives with little time for themselves. Their technology underwent radical improvements. They could now defend themselves against any threat that wanted to bring them down. Personal relationships blossomed significantly especially for Gordon and Lady Penelope. For the Tracy family, life couldn't be sweeter. Unfortunately, under this veil of happiness lied a sense of isolation for Jeff. He still hadn't seen his friends and associates since he returned home. He had spent the past year building up the island's security and connections with other organisations. There was little time for recreation. His day to day schedule consisted of official meetings and coordinating rescues. Sure, his sons caught him up to speed on his friends and their exploits, but the one man he really wanted to see again was Lee Taylor.
He stood out over the balcony as Thunderbird Two returned from another call out. He enjoyed watching his sons blast off in their machines, but he longed for another adventure in which he could be involved. He stood there lost in a sea of thoughts when Alan and Scott called out to him.
"Hey Dad, Virgil and Gordon are back. They report that the fire was no big deal and that there weren't any casualties."
"That's good, Alan. John already gave me the full report. I guess you better go and study now. Your Astrology exam is in a few days and you're falling behind." Jeff replied.
Alan smirked. "Don't worry about that. I've got it under control."
Scott stood next to his father. He knew for a while that something was on his mind.
"Are you alright? I know what day it is. I wondered how you were holding up?"
Jeff looked at his son. "I'm okay, Scott. I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. International Rescue has kept me on my feet ever since you boys brought me home."
"I know. We've never been so popular. Mum would be so proud of what we've achieved. She wouldn't want you to feel so miserable."
"It's not the job that's getting to me. It's the human factor. I haven't had the chance to see anyone since I've been back. Apart from Colonel Casey that is. I never realised that International Rescue had been so vulnerable while I was gone with The Hood and the Chaos Crew and all. Now we've got threats from a group called "The Zombites." It just seems never-ending. This wasn't the world I hoped we would be living in,"
"It never works out that way. I'm afraid." Scott replied. "That's not what's really bugging you though is it?"
"I wonder if he even knows I'm alive and well?" Jeff sighed. "You boys have told me so much of his exploits, yet I don't know if I'll get to see him again."
Scott placed his hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll hear from him again soon. He's been a busy man since that incident on Mars. He said he wanted to retire there, but it was obvious that he was going to have his work cut out for him."
Virgil and Gordon entered the lounge. Kayo also joined them after she spent the night working on her Thunderbird. They all wanted to grab some lunch in case they were called out again, but their plans were soon cut short when John called in from Thunderbird Five.
"Base from Thunderbird Five. Sorry to disappoint your lunch guys but I'm picking up an SOS signal from space. It's been transmitting every two minutes."
Jeff sat behind his desk. "Have you got a fix on it, John?"
John brought up a holographic display of the Red Planet. A small flash of light blinked away on the display.
"The signal appears to be coming from Mars where the Phobos Colony was destroyed. There isn't a message attached to the signal but it's strong."
"Sounds like we should check it out," Virgil suggested. "Captain Taylor could be hurt?"
"Don't you think it's strange that we haven't heard from him at all? Then all of a sudden he sends out a distress call?" Kayo added. "Just what is going on there that we're not supposed to know about?"
Gordon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Kayo shared her theory. "Think about it for a moment. He stopped contacting us when the Phobos base exploded. We were not told about it at all and it's as if he was ordered to keep quiet about it. Now after all this time, he sends out another SOS call? I think he was ordered to hide something up there."
"Come off it, Kayo. I don't think the Captain would have anything to hide." Virgil replied, dismissing her theory. "He's been straight with us from the start."
Jeff stood up and approached the group. He wanted to know what was going on and he was going to do something about it.
"Alright, that's enough." He said as his authoritative tone caught their attention. "We're going to go to Mars and investigate. Despite what secrets Captain Taylor may keep, he's our friend and he needs our help. Scott, go fetch Alan. I'll see you down in Thunderbird Three. Kayo, as we won't know what to expect, I'd like you to come too."
"FAB." Kayo acknowledged confidently.
Gordon felt his stomach tighten. He was worried about his father leaving the island for the stars once again.
"Wait a minute. You're going with them?"
"Is there a problem with that, Gordon?" Jeff asked him.
"Well, it's just... it's…"
"You're worried I'll go into space and something will happen to me again."
Gordon looked at him with worry. "I'm sorry. It's just. We got you back last year and…"
Jeff put his arm around his son. "I'll be alright, kid. It'll be different this time. I'll have your brothers with me on this one."
"I know." Gordon sighed. "Just be careful up there."
"You got it." Jeff smiled.
After summoning Alan from his room, the Tracy brothers suited up for take off. Kayo accompanied Jeff to the passenger lift where their utility suits were stored. As soon as they were ready, the boarded Thunderbird Three where Scott and Alan were already waiting for them. As they strapped themselves in, Alan and Scott ran a systems check.
"All systems are green," Scott said.
"FAB," Alan replied. "Let's go."
On a five-second countdown, Thunderbird Three's engines roared to life. With her thrusters at full power, Thunderbird Three propelled herself into the sky, piercing the sound barrier at lightning speed. Alan's face beamed. He always enjoyed the thrill of a launch. He couldn't get enough of it.
"Thunderbird Three is go!"
Back on the ground, Virgil and Gordon watched on. Their mutual anxiety was palpable. Grandma understood their reluctance at letting their Father go into space. She did what she did best to comfort the pair.
"Come along you two. Your food is getting cold." She said as she directed them towards the kitchen. "Your father is going to be just fine up there. He's been looking for a reason to go look for his friend again."
"I know, Grandma but it doesn't feel right." Gordon moaned. "Suppose they get into trouble up there. Then what will we do?"
Grandma stopped to look at him. "Gordon Tracy, haven't you learnt anything? We're International Rescue. Where there's a will, there's a way and we always find a way."
Gordon nodded as he accepted his Grandma's assurance on the matter.
The sensation of weightlessness flooded Thunderbird Three as they left the atmosphere. Once they were clear of the atmosphere, Scott fired up a new piece of technology. They called it the Thunder Drive, a smaller controlled version of the T Drive engine which was developed by the Mechanic. The edition of the Thunder Drive meant that they could make a trip to the Red Planet and back in a matter of hours. It wasn't as powerful as the original T Drive, but it was more stable and reliable.
Scott grabbed the lever. "Activating Thunder Drive in Five...Four...Three...Two...One."
Scott pulled down the lever. The resulting action caused the cabin to shake in a low-frequency hum. As quick as a flash, Thunderbird Three warped into space towards Mars.